Love Is Poison
by kayli12
Summary: Loki has done it. He has taken over Midgard and has finally bested his brother. He's supposed to be happy, but he isn't. Loki is bored. Until she comes into his life. A/N: Please leave reviews!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

Loki was bored.

He leaned back in his chair, picking at his fingernails. He looked out of his window, staring at the statue he had had erected in place of the statue of liberty. It was an incredible likeness. A small grin crept on his face as he remembered the faces of the humans when he had taken away their precious statue. It had meant something to them. It had represented freedom, which is why he had to take it away.

He reflected on those first glorious weeks after his victory over the earth. At first, it had all been so much fun. The humans had been oh so terrified, and after seeing what he had done to their beloved heroes, they had submitted to him so easily.

That had been fun as well, defeating the 'Avengers.' It had taken a while, but once Loki had taken hold of a good number of nukes, they had surrendered. Loki had considered killing them, but that would be too kind, so instead he had frozen them. Of course, he was very careful, keeping them alive and allowing them to still see and think. He had then forced them to watch as he slowly took over their precious earth, enjoying the look of failure in their eyes. Especially in Thor's. Loki had finally bested his brother.

Of course, none of this was actually supposed to happen.

It had never been his plan to _win. _He was supposed to make it as hard for the Avengers as possible, and then lose. Thor would take him back to Asgard, and then Loki would find a way to steal the throne from his father.

But his desperate need to win had consumed him.

It had been the way Tony Stark had spoken to him. The billionaire had seemed so sure of victory, like Loki wasn't even that big of a threat at all.

After that, Loki _had _to win. So, he had gone along with the Avengers' plan for a while. He allowed them to defeat the Chitauri, and had used one of his illusions to make it look like the Hulk had beaten him up, while the real Loki was busy finding any nuke he could get his hands on.

When the world fell to him, all he had to do was make sure that Odin didn't try to knock him off his throne. Loki knew Odin didn't care much for Midgard, but to make sure nothing happened between the two realms, he threatened to kill Thor. After all, Odin would never put his favorite son at risk.

And now, he was here, with an entire planet to rule over.

But something was wrong.

He had no idea what it was, but he felt it deep in his gut. It was as if...something was missing. Whatever it was, he wanted it badly.

With a sigh, he stood up. Not wanting any of the humans who served him to see him, he changed himself into an overweight man with a large nose. He took the private elevator he had installed when he had made the building into his palace, and a few minutes later found him walking along the streets of New York.

He wasn't really sure why he did this so often. At first, he had done it to show the mortals that no secret was safe from him. Because of his shape-shifting abilities, he had squashed most of the rebellious groups.

But now he didn't really have a good reason. He just did it.

The form he was in had become his usual. He told anyone who happened to ask that his name was Robert.

As always, Loki stopped at his favorite hot dog stand. It was another strange habit he had developed. He wasn't a huge fan of hot dogs, but something about them was oddly addicting to him.

"The usual?" The hot dog vendor, George, asked him.

He nodded, and thanked George as he handed him his chili dog. George didn't try to make conversation, which was unusual, but Loki was glad. He wasn't in the mood to make meaningless small talk.

Looking around, Loki felt a deep satisfaction. Everyone he could see was walking quickly, with their heads down. It was a sign a fear. He smirked, shaking his head. Why was it that he had been so bored? Now that he was out here, it seemed so stupid. He had conquered Midgard! It was all his. What was there to be unsatisfied for? That missing feeling he had was probably just his imagination. Everything was as it should be.

Just as he thought this, everything came crashing down.

He saw her.

It was only a quick glimpse, but it was enough. He saw a girl with light honey brown hair, running through the crowd, heading towards the subway. She looked at him quickly, and Loki knew.

She was what he was missing.

He pushed people aside, hurrying to catch up to her. A man spilled his papers and bent down, getting in Loki's way. He growled, and shoved the man. The man yelled out something in anger, but Loki wasn't paying attention.

He rushed through the subway station, and was just on time to see the train's door close. His eyes met briefly with the girl's.

And then she was gone.

But he would do whatever it took to find her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

Riley Chappel was having a bad day.

As she walked out of the diner she worked at-or _used_ to work at-tears began to fall down her face. She wiped them away quickly; just because it was common nowadays for someone to cry in public didn't mean she was okay with it.

Fired.

It was an ugly word, really. She had always thought so, but now it was even worse. It made her insides churn. What was she going to do?

At this last thought, she felt the tears coming again. She swallowed hard. _I'll think about this later, _she decided. Riley checked her watch. "Oh bleep," she said underneath her breath. She was going to miss her train!

She started to run, weaving through people like a pro. This wasn't the first time she was late. She had a bad habit of always being the last person on the train. Because of this, she was quite good at running through crowds.

"Watch where you're going!" A man said as she bumped into his shoulder.

"Sorry!" She called out, not bothering to look back. Later she would feel bad, but at the moment all she could think of was not missing her train.

She glanced at her watch while running. She was going to make it! The subway was in sight. Feeling someone watching her, she turned her head briefly and saw a middle-aged man with a big nose staring at her with his mouth open. The way he looked at her made her uncomfortable, so she looked away as quickly as possible. Was something on her face?

She made it to the subway just in time. Breathing a sigh of relief, she slipped into the train, trying to catch her breath.

She looked out just as the doors started to close, and was shocked to see the same big-nosed man staring at her. He looked at her desperately, but the doors were closed before he could board. Had he followed her?

_That's creepy, _she thought, making a face.

"Are you alright, Miss?" A man standing by her asked. He was rather cute, with dark brown eyes and blonde hair.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she stuttered. "I was just making faces, you know," she laughed nervously.

"Um...Ok..." he gave her a 'are-you-bleeping-crazy?' look, and turned away.

She mentally kicked herself. She'd gotten fired, almost missed her train, AND she'd made a complete fool of herself in front of a hot dude. Could this day get any worse?

Apparently it could, because a few minutes later a six-year-old boy threw up on her shoes. Riley spent the next ten minutes trying to convince the boy's mother that it was fine, telling her she understood. She wasn't angry at the little boy-he was only six.

When she got off the train she told the woman once more that it was ok, and then started walking to her apartment, her shoes making a nasty squishing sound with every step. _Ok, NOW it can't get any worse._

That was when it started to rain.

Despite having an awful day, Riley started laughing. The people around her looked at her like she was crazy, and she began to feel uncomfortable. She smiled awkwardly at a particular woman, and walked a little faster.

Eventually she made it to her apartment. She was fishing through her purse for her keys when a terrible thought struck her. What if she'd lost her keys? Her searching became more frantic, but soon she found her keys. She breathed a sigh of relief and entered her apartment.

"I'm home!" She called, tossing her bag onto the beaten up couch.

"I'm in my room!" Her mom, Janet, told her. She took a deep breath, tucking her hair behind her ears, and went into her mom's room.

Riley walked in, feeling the familiar sting of pain at the sight of her mother in a wheelchair. Her mother had been a very pretty lady before the accident, but now the left side of her body was covered with scar tissue. Riley still thought her mom was beautiful, but inside she winced every time she saw the scars.

At the same time, whenever she saw the scars she was reminded of how miraculous it was that her mom was still alive.

Janet Chappel had been having a regular day at the office, when the battle of New York began. It was too dangerous to leave the building, so she had crowded in a corner with the rest of her co-workers, waiting for the battle to stop. But the building wasn't as safe as they thought.

It was hit by one of the Chitauri's ship, and the building was reduced to rubble. Almost all of Janet's co-workers had been killed. Only three others had survived, and two of them were in comas.

Janet had been found just in time. The doctors were able to save her life, but had proclaimed that she was paralyzed from neck on down, and would probably stay that way for the rest of her life.

"How was work today?" Janet asked, bringing Riley back to the present.

Riley took a deep breath, resolving not to cry. She swallowed hard. "I-I,um,got laid off."

"No!" Riley's mom breathed. "Oh, Riley. Why?"

"You know why," she said with a sigh. "Ever since that God took over the world, everyone is scared. Most people don't want to leave their homes, and when they do it's only to work. The restaurant isn't doing well. They had to make cuts."

She looked into her mom's eyes and saw the worry in them. What were they going to do? They needed the money. Riley had already paid the rent for the month, and she was sure they had enough money for food for a while. But what about next months rent? And the next? With how crazy things were, who knows when she could find another job. Well, at least one that could support them.

"We'll be alright," Janet said firmly. The worry in her eyes was gone, replaced by a strong determination. "We'll figure this out. I promise, Riley."

Riley faked a smile and hugged her mom, wishing that she could believe her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

Loki was becoming impatient. It had been twelve hours since he had seen her, and he still had no idea how to find her.

He had done everything he could to narrow it down. Loki had found out where her train had let her off, but that wasn't much help. Now, he was sitting at a desk, searching through the records of every female who lived in a ten mile radius of the train stop. Unfortunately, those weren't much help either.

He didn't have enough information on the girl. He didn't know her name, how old she was. All he really remembered about her appearance was her hair and her eyes.

Especially her eyes.

He found himself smiling, but it was soon replaced by a look of horror.

What was happening to him?!

He shook his head in disgust and went back to his task. Loki needed to find her. Now. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. All he could think about was her. He had no idea how to explain the desperate need that consumed him, but he had a suspicion it was that it came from the Jotun side of him.

Oh, how he wished he could visit the libraries of Asgard! He would surely be able to find something there that would help him understand what was happening.

An idea began to form in his mind. It probably wouldn't work, but he was desperate and it was worth a shot. But, before he could devote any of his time procuring one of the Asgardians books, he had to find the human girl.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in."

One of his servants, a short man whose name Loki didn't remember, entered tentatively. "I have the drivers license photos you requested, my King."

Loki gestured for him to put the folder on the desk. It probably would have been easier for him to have the files sent to his laptop, but he preferred using the more traditional method. The man bowed and did as he was asked.

"Sir, who are you looking for?"

"That is none of your business," Loki snapped. "Now, _leave._"

"Y-yes, sir," the man stuttered. "M-may I ask one more thing?"

"What?" Loki asked, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

He gulped. "Well, we've b-b-been understaffed since you f-fired Nancy and Chase.."

"What's your name?"

"J-Jim."

"Jim, _sir,_" Loki corrected him.

He looked absolutely terrified."Jim, sir"

"Well, _Jim, _I suggest you do something about it."

Jim looked confused at first, and then it registered. Bowing again, he mumbled a thanks and then hurried out of the room.

As soon as Jim was gone, Loki scrambled to pick up the folder, frantically flipping through each page. He knew the girl was old enough to have a drivers license. There was no way she was younger than sixteen.

However, luck was not with him. As he flipped through the pictures, not one of them matched what he remembered. He lingered on a woman named Janet Chappel whose eyes were the same almond shaped, dark brown the girl's had been. But she was too old, and her hair was blonde, not brown. Still, he memorized the name and decided to go through her records some time.

He growled in frustration and threw the folder on the desk. Nothing. The girl must not have a drivers license.

It was like she didn't _want _to be found.

* * *

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!

The blaring of Riley's alarm clock woke her with a start. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, before stumbling into the bathroom. It was only after she showered and had begun brushing her teeth that she realized there wasn't a reason.

She didn't have a job to get to.

Heaving a sigh, she stared into the mirror. The fear she had felt was gone, replaced by anger. Not anger at her boss, Big Mickey, who had laid her off. She knew it wasn't actually his fault. Ever since the bleeping attack had happened, nothing was the same.

She took a deep breath. She missed the days when the most worrisome thing was her weight, and whether her crush liked her back. Would things ever be like that for her again?

Probably not. Not after what Loki had done.

Everyone was terrified. Their 'king,' Loki, was not only extremely powerful, but he extremely moody. He had no regard for human life, and was perfectly fine with executing innocent people for no reason but his own entertainment.

It was _his _fault her mom was crippled. _His _fault Riley wasn't currently finishing her senior year of high school. _His _fault she was out of a job.

At the same time, there was something about the king that made it so Riley couldn't quite hate him. She had only seen him on TV every now and then, but there was something in his eyes. To her, he seemed so...broken. No one knew much about Loki's life before he took over New York; no one was brave enough to try to find out. But Riley had a feeling that there was something in his past that made him what he was today.

It wasn't a good excuse. Nothing could ever excuse everything he had done. Still, it made her pity him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

Riley stood in the checkout line, holding a box of cereal. She tapped her foot to the song playing, unconsciously mouthing along with the words. If she had been paying attention, she probably would have been embarrassed by the looks people were giving her. But, she was too deep in thought to notice anyone around her.

Today was the day that she would begin job hunting. She grimaced inwardly every time she thought about it. Finding a job would be nearly impossible, especially for an eighteen-year-old high school dropout.

Finally, it was her turn in line. She placed the box of Special K on the checkout counter and waited as the cashier scanned it.

"That will be $5.00," the cashier, a pimply man in his twenties, told her.

"But it said it was $3.68 in the cereal aisle," Riley said.

He looked at her like she was stupid. "Prices went up."

She sighed and looked in her wallet. Of course. She was only carrying $4.57 in cash, and had left her debit card at home. "Look, I'm like 43 cents short. Is there anyway you could just cut me some slack? I come here all the time, and I swear I can pay you next time."

"Sorry, Miss," the cashier said. "We don't give out charity. You'll have to leave the cereal here."

Riley bit her lip, trying to keep back the retort in her head. With a curt nod, she spun on her heel and headed out of the store.

But obviously, being Riley, she tripped and fell on her face right when she was about to exit. Laughter erupted everywhere, and blushing a deep shade of red, she got back up and hurried out.

Before she got to the parking lot, a newspaper blew over to her, getting caught on her ankle. She picked it up, seeing that it was where ads for jobs were put. She scanned the page quickly, but all of the jobs were for people who had experience, or a degree. All except one.

A steady job for housework was open. Riley had always been good at cleaning, better than even her mom. It was perfect for her. But, there was a catch.

She would be working for Loki, the man who had practically destroyed everyone's lives. She bit her lip, considering the options. What were the chances she would find a job like that? She assumed the pay would be good, seeing as Loki had all the money in the world at his disposal. Even if it was working for a man-or God-so evil, it would definitely be better than nothing.

Swallowing hard, she dialed the phone number listed in the ad and made an appointment for a job interview, later that same day.

The ticking of the clock set Riley on edge.

Well, that and the fact that she was in the waiting room of the building where Loki Laufeyson lived. She shuddered, shaking her head clear of the thought. This would be worth it. It really would. At least that's what she kept telling herself.

She looked around her, impressed by what she saw. The house was truly beautiful. On the outside, the house was a warm cream color and resembled an ancient greek building, with its many pillars. It was probably about three stories tall, and was very large. A huge fountain was in the front of the building, and steps led up to the dark oak door. On the inside gorgeous paintings hung on the emerald green walls, the large windows were covered by golden drapes, and the tile work was amazing.

Say what you want about their king, but Loki obviously had good taste in homes.

"Riley Chappel, Mr. Marks is ready to see you now," the blonde secretary told her.

She nodded and headed through the door the secretary had indicated. She straightened out her blouse, glad that she'd had time to change into nicer clothes.

When she entered the room, she was surprised to find that it was rather casual. There were some comfy looking couches, a bookcase, and a water jug. On one of the couches sat a short, thin man with brown hair that was going grey at the temples. He was dressed in a button up shirt and slacks, but something about his demeanor made it seem casual. He gave her a warm smile and stood to shake her hand.

"Hello," the man said. "My name James Marks, but you can call me Jim."

"I'm Riley," she told him. "Riley Chappel."

They sat down and Jim began to interview her. It went smoothly, Riley answered everything confidently and Jim was very relaxed about it all. She was almost sure she would get the job. After all, she had a perfect record and when Jim mentioned a 3 day trial, she felt totally confident it would go over well.

But as usual, she was wrong.

At the very end of the interview, Jim heaved a sigh and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Riley. I can't give you this job."

She was shocked. "But why?"

"You seem like a good, kind girl. This job is too dangerous."

"How is it dangerous?"

Jim looked at her wearily. "The Master-Loki-has an extremely short temper. One mistake and BAM. Last time a servant displeased him, he literally set her on fire. Luckily, she lived. Another man had his ear cut off. I'm so sorry. But I won't allow someone as young as you to go through something like this."

"I need this job, Mr. Marks," Riley told him, her voice slightly shaky. "I willing to take the risks."

"I'm not," he said firmly. "Again, I'm very sorry. It would be best if you left now."

She nodded, feeling the sting of disappointment surging through her body, and left the room. Once again, Loki had unknowingly ruined her plans.

As she opened the door to leave the building, she looked down at her watch. "Oh, bleep," she said aloud. She was late for her train again! She sprinted out of the building, not noticing the fat man with the big nose who screamed for her to stop

* * *

Loki headed towards his home, feeling extremely on edge. He had chased down leads all day, but nothing turned up. The girl was no where to be found.

He was in his usual form, the big-nosed man. He scratched his bald head, scowling at the ground. How could it be so hard to find a human girl? Sure, there were millions of them, but he was Loki Laufeyson. How could he be so incompetent? He headed up the steps to his home, for some reason choosing to go through the front entrance.

He was almost too frustrated with himself to notice the pretty girl who rushed past him.

Almost.

It was her. The girl he had been searching and searching for was coming from _his _home. His heart jumped in his throat, and he quickly turned and started running back towards her

"Stop!" He screamed at the girl. He could just see her, but soon she was completely swallowed up in the crowd.

_You aren't getting away this time, _he thought with a growl. He started shoving through people, and then he gave up his disguise and morphed into the real him. "Move!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, amplifying his voice.

Hundreds of people around him stopped dead in their tracks, staring at him with terror. They soon complied, making a large path, and getting down on their knees.

Frantically, he searched the crowd, but to no avail.

She had slipped through his fingers again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

Ever since Riley could remember, she had been a victim of absolutely terrible luck.

And today was no exception.

On her way to the subway, she had tried to cut through an alley. It was a really suspicious looking alley, but she had been so worried about missing her train that she ignored the feeling to stay away.

While going through the alley, a man had stopped her and taken all of her money. It wasn't very much at all, but because of it Riley had missed her train and now had no money to pay for another ticket.

She knew she should probably be grateful that the man had spared her life, but she wasn't in a real optimistic mood.

It was dark outside, raining, she was exhausted, and her apartment was far away. She figured it was probably best for her to find a place to hide out for the night, maybe get some sleep. The best option to her was a small playground outside of a school. Seeing as it was a Friday, no one would be there the next morning, so she snuggled up into the slide, thankful that it was one of the tubular ones.

She put her hands over her face and groaned. "I hate my life," she sighed. Why did bad things always have to happen to her?

Her poor mom would probably be worried. Janet would most likely stay up all night, waiting for her to come back. Riley felt a stab of guilt, wondering what it would be like to worry so much about someone and not being able to do anything about it.

She sighed again and closed her eyes, pushing all of her thoughts aside. She was tired, and she needed the sleep. She began counting sheep, trying to keep her mind off of things. Before she hit ten, she fell fast asleep.

* * *

Loki walked up to the run down apartment building, a triumphant smile on his face. He had finally found her.

As soon as he had lost her in the crowd, he had rushed back to his home and had demanded to know her name and her address. Jim had given it to him immediately, of course.

Her name was Riley Chappel. Riley. He loved the way her name rolled off his tongue.

Loki was perfectly aware of all the eyes on him as he walked to the door of her apartment. He had decided against wearing a disguise. When he first met her, he wanted to look like himself.

Running a hand quickly through his hair he knocked on the door, his heart pounding in his chest. _Calm down, _he told himself, feeling disgusted. He was pathetic.

He waited impatiently for a few moments and then knocked again. But no one answered. His eyes narrowed into slits, and he continued pounding on the door. He was tempted to knock it down, but he was almost sure she wasn't home. He could feel it.

Loki snarled, hitting the door once more. He was so close. After all this time, here he was, and she wasn't even home.

_Well then, _he thought, regaining his composure. _I'll just wait here until she does come home._

And so he sat down in front of her doorstep. Anyone passing by snuck quick glances at him, wondering why the all powerful Loki Laufeyson was sitting in front of someones door, drawing circles on the ground with his finger.

It was an odd world.

* * *

Riley was awakened by someone prodding her with a stick. She groaned and opened her eyes, and then jumped at the sight of a dirty man with a gnarled beard staring down at her.

"That's my place," the hobo grunted.

She sat up, looking at the her surroundings in shock. And then she remembered why she was there.

"Are you going to move?" Hobo dude asked her.

She furrowed her brows, confused. "What..?"

He rolled his eyes. "The slide is my place to sleep. I let you have it last night, now give it back."

"Oh!" She exclaimed. Most people might have been afraid of the man, but Riley wasn't exactly a normal person. Instead, she felt bad. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to steal your spot."

"S'alright," he mumbled, sitting down on a bench and chewing on a rock hard piece of bread.

With a yawn, she stood, sweeping the slide off. "I really am sorry.I didn't know. I just had a really bad day yesterday and I needed somewhere to sleep," she explained, and before she knew it, she was rambling. "Well actually, every day since the stupid New York attack has been bad."

She sat down by him on the bench, and for reasons she couldn't explain, kept talking. "I mean, my mom got paralyzed, so I had to quit high school to get a job, and I really didn't mind high school, I had a lot of fun there, but, you know, I needed to do it for my mom. And it's just been so stressful, having to deal with bills and stuff, and then my stupid job laid me off, and so now I need to look for another one, right?"

At this point, the hobo was staring at her like she was crazy, but Riley didn't notice.

"Well, I got an interview for this job that was perfect for me, I mean, I had to work for bleeping Loki Laufeyson, but that's ok, right? But then, this guy named Jim wouldn't give me the stupid job because he wants to be all noble and stuff and protect me from Loki's wrath, and then I was late for my train, so I went through a bleeping alley and got mugged by a stupid guy. So then, I missed my bleeping train and I'm just really bleeping mad right now!"

"Why do you keep saying bleeping?" The man asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I always hate it when people swear, so I just say bleep," she told him, rubbing her palms on her skirt. "Anyways, now I need to walk all the way home and I'm wearing bleeping heels," she sighed in frustration and stood. "Thank you for listening to me."

He nodded, absorbed in his bread. "Don't worry, dudette. Things'll get better, 'k?"

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "High five, man."

He held his hand up for a high five, but Riley accidentally missed and hit him in the nose. "OW!" He yelled, cupping his nose with his hand. "You gave me a bloody nose!"

Her eyes widened. "I am so sorry!" She told him, backing up. "Really, I am!"

"You can have the stupid spot!" He told her angrily, walking away from her. "It's not worth this."

Riley grimaced and laid down on the bench. "It's always me."

It was early morning, and she wasn't in the mood to start walking again. So, she went back to her slide and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

Riley woke up to someone poking her with a stick, _again. _So the hobo _had _come back for his spot.

"Just give me five more minutes and then I swear I'll give your spot back," she groaned. "Really."

She heard a short laugh. "Naw, I don't really want it," a familiar voice said.

Riley opened her eyes and was surprised to see her best friend, Airi, looking down at her. "Airi!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend. "My main Asian! How did you find me?!"

Airi laughed. "I was driving by, and I saw your shoes sticking out of the slide. Knowing you, I was pretty sure they belonged to you."

"I'm so glad you're here," she said. "I had a really, really bad day."

"I bet," Airi nodded. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

"Really? But what about your work?"

"I have the day off."

She was grateful for the ride home. Airi was always coming to her rescue, ever since they were three years old.

But Riley was even more thankful for the chance to talk to Airi. They had been best friends since they were kids, but after the New York attack they had become even closer. Airi's parents' had had a cut in pay, so Airi had needed to quit school to help support her five other siblings. They had both been there for each other during all the ups and downs during the past few months. Airi was pretty much Riley's only friend.

Eventually, they arrived home. Riley thanked her profusely, and then headed towards her apartment, waving goodbye to her best friend as she drove away.

As she was unlocking her front door, she had the sensation that someone was watching her. She looked around, but couldn't see anyone. She shrugged and entered her apartment, walking quickly into her mom's room.

Her mom was fast asleep. Riley smiled, relieved. Janet had probably fallen asleep and hadn't even realized that her daughter was late. She kissed her mother's forehead, and then went into their small living room. She sat on the couch, and sorted through the mail on the coffee table.

"Bills, bills, and look!" She said to herself. "Even more bills." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "How am I going to do this?"

"Perhaps I can help."

It was a masculine voice and was as smooth as silk. The sound of it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She whipped her head around, finally noticing the tall figure standing in the corner of the room. His face was obscured in shadows.

She stood quickly, grabbing the remote to use as a weapon. "Who the bleep are you and what are you doing here?"

As the man stepped out of the shadows, Riley felt sick. It couldn't be. The dark hair, the devious smirk.

It was Loki Laufeyson.

Her heart stopped. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

"Oooh," he said. "A TV remote. I'm terrified."

Somewhere deep down, Riley knew that she should be down on her knees. She never had been one to cause trouble. But instead of doing what she should do, she glared at him and chucked the remote at his head.

He easily dodged it, his grin widening. "Feisty. I like it." Loki walked towards her, coming extremely close to her and grabbing her wrist. Turning, he began to drag her away.

"What are you doing?" She screamed.

"Riley?" Her mom called from her room. "What's going on?"

She struggled, kicking and punching him as hard as she could, but he seemed totally unaffected. An idea popped into her head, and she aimed a blow at his no-no square. He grunted and spun around, pushing her up against the wall.

"Stop that," he hissed as he pinned her arms above her head.

Riley squirmed, staring into his intense green eyes. "Why the bleep are you even here?!" She demanded, glad that her voice wasn't shaking.

"Bleep?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She growled and tried to kick him again, but it only made him angrier. He pressed against her harder, totally keeping her from moving.

"I told you to stop that," his voice was low and dangerous.

"Riley!" Janet sounded frantic. "Riley, are you ok?!"

Loki rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. There was a bump, followed by snoring. Riley felt relieved, thankful he hadn't actually hurt her mom. He looked back at her and threw her over his shoulder, heading towards the door.

"NO!" She screamed, banging on his shoulder with her fists. "Put me down!"

"Will you _shut up?_" He asked angrily.

"Yes, if you'll put me bleeping down!"

Heaving a huge sigh, he tossed her onto the couch. "One wrong move, and it's back to the shoulder," he told her.

She nodded quickly, swallowing the lump that rose in her throat. "Why are you here?" She demanded.

"That is not important. You are coming with me, _Riley._"

So he knew her name. Even though he terrified her, Riley wasn't going to let him push her around. She slowly dug her hand in the couch cushion, searching for the knife she kept in it, and glared at him. "No, I'm not. I haven't done anything wrong, and you have no right to go around kidnapping girls!"

He laughed at her. "I'm a king. I have the right to do whatever I please. Now we can either do this the easy way or the hard way."

Her hand finally closed onto the switchblade. She drew it out and stepped back from the couch, pointing the knife at the god in her living room. "I'm not afraid to use this," she warned, but her voice lacked all confidence.

Loki raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You seem to prefer the weakest weapons possible, don't you?"

When he took a step towards her, she waved it threateningly, but he just shook his head and lunged at her, grabbing her wrist and twisting the knife out of her hand. "I told you not to try anything."

"And I told _you _that I'm not going anywhere!" Riley wasn't really sure where all of this boldness was coming from, but she was grateful for it. "Now, let me go and get out of my house!"

She expected him to be angry, but instead he seemed curious and even amused. "You would dare defy me, a god?" He laughed. "Well, perhaps I should take a different approach. Sit down. But this time, no knifes."

She bit her lip and nodded. Every part of her was tense, and now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade, she realized just how scared she was. She sat down and looked at him warily, trying to keep herself from hyperventilating. Loki stood in front of her with his arms crossed.

"I want you to know that your compliance isn't necessary, but I would prefer if you weren't screaming and fighting me the entire way," he told her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he gave her a look to silence her. "You're coming with me, just accept it. But, I have an offer for you."

"What is it?" She asked, swallowing hard.

"You come with me, willingly, and I will take care of all of your financial issues. Your mother will live in a larger home, and will be given everything she needs and wants."

"And me?"

"You will live with me," he said. "And be my queen."

At this, he reached out a hand to caress her cheek. She jerked away, shaking her head furiously. "Uh, no!" She cried out. "Never!"

His eyes darkened. "Fine. I'll just take you with me, and we will leave your poor, crippled mother to fend for herself."

Riley glared up at him, knowing that he had already won. There was no way she was going to be able to fight him. He was too strong. "Alright," she sighed. "You win. I'll go with you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

Loki watched Riley as they were driven back to his home. Riley sat as far away as possible, squishing herself against the window. She stared straight ahead, but Loki caught her occasionally glancing at him.

It was a relief to have gotten rid of that all consuming need to find her, but it had been replaced by something that was almost worse.

She was close, yes, but to Loki she wasn't close enough. It was infuriating to have her sit so far away. He wanted to hold her, to touch her skin.

But he held himself back. This wasn't like him, and he wanted to test himself. How long could he go before giving in? _Not much longer, _he thought as he studied her. By human terms, she probably wasn't considered very pretty. She had a round face with none of the features, besides her eyes, that the Midgardians seemed to love. And she didn't have a body like the twig-like fashion models. She was slightly chubby, but she had curves.

All together, she was probably considered by the majority as 'average.' But Loki wasn't part of the that majority.

He had never liked the thin girls, always preferring women with more meat on their bones. While most other mortals would say her face was plain, he considered it beautiful in a more toned down, simple way. She had flaws, but he loved them.

To sum it up, he thought she was perfectly imperfect.

He scowled, tearing his eyes away from Riley. _Stop it, _he told himself. This was so ridiculous! How could he, a _God, _feel this way for a _human? _It was disgusting. He held on desperately to that repulsion, trying to fend off the growing need he felt to be close to Riley.

It didn't work for long. By the time they arrived at his house, his entire body ached for her. As he got out of the car, he had to take a few deep breaths before he opened Riley's door. He held out his hand, but she seemed hesitant.

"I'm not going to bite," he said, rolling his eyes.

She looked into his eyes and carefully placed her hand in his.

Immediately, some of the pressure he felt faded away. His thinking became much clearer as he felt her skin against his. "See?" He said with a smirk. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Riley pulled away quickly, looking away. The muscles in Loki's jaw tightened. "Follow me."

He led her into the house and into the elevator. As they ascended to the third floor, Loki noticed that just like in the car, Riley was as far away from him as possible. He rolled his eyes and turned to her.

"Why are you doing that?" He asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

"Doing w-what?" She said, pressing herself a little harder against the elevators wall.

They arrived at the third floor, so he put his foot in front of the door to keep it open. "You try to stay as far away from me as possible. Why?"

Her jaw dropped. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're psychotic!" Riley's eyebrows furrowed in an adorable look of concentration for a few moments, then she nodded. "Yeah, psychotic is the word, right?"

"It is," he told her. "But I am not insane, and you don't have any reason to be frightened. I'm not going to harm you."

"Says the God of lies," she mumbled.

"I'm the God of _mischief, _not lies."

"Oh, whatever!" She exclaimed, shaking her head. "Are we going to get out of this bleeping elevator or not?"

He fought back a smile. She was such a confusing human. One second she was timid and frightened, the next she was arguing with him. It was both frustrating and endearing. He definitely wasn't going to get bored of her any time soon. "After you," he said.

She stepped out of the elevator, and waited for him. "Where am I supposed to go?" Her voice was apprehensive again. Loki walked in front of her, leading her to his office. As they entered, he gestured for her to take a seat across from his desk.

"We have things to discuss," he said, fighting back the urge to tuck her hair behind her ears.

Riley slowly looked up and nodded. "Alright."

He leaned forward in his chair, noticing that immediately she scooted hers back a bit. It was infuriating, to say the least. His expression darkened as he stared across the desk at her. "Let's start with this," he said. At first her need to be far away had been understandable, but now that they were in his home, she needed to understand how things were going to work. She was his, and he was going to have no more of this behavior.

"What?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"The way you seem to be trying to stay as far away from me as possible," he told her, rolling his eyes. "You are mine now. Physical contact is inevitable."

She squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. The look on her face made Loki laugh. He stood, walked around the desk, and then squatted down by Riley's seat. Her eyes were wide, her body tense.

"Does that thought make you uneasy?" He asked, his voice just barely louder than a whisper. His face was only a few inches from hers. The panic in her eyes was plain to see. He smirked and gently ran his thumb over her cheek. She jerked away, and his smile faded. He gritted his teeth, a hot bubble of anger slowly rising in his chest. "Oh, that's another thing we need to discuss."

He straightened up. "You are to listen to my every command. Failure to comply will result in harsh punishments. Do you understand?"

"What kind of punishments?"

"Trust me, you don't want to find out," he said. Good, he thought as goosebumps appeared on Riley's arms. He'd gotten his point across.

"One other thing," he said. "You are allowed to go anywhere in the house. But, if you want to go outside you have to get my permission first."

"That's not fair!" She exclaimed, rising to her feet. "You don't own me!"

"As I said a few moments ago, you are mine. You agreed to this."

"No I didn't! I agreed to come here with you, not be your slave!"

He gave her a dangerous look and held her jaw in his long fingers. "Perhaps you need more incentive. Riley, no matter what you do, you are staying here with me. You can ease into everything willingly, or I can slowly break you," at the word 'break,' he squeezed her jaw, but not hard enough to actually hurt her. "And I'll start by taking away your mother. I can hurt her, make her life miserable."

"You said that if I came with you, you wouldn't hurt her," she protested, but her voice was weak.

A smile spread across his lips. "You were right earlier. I _am _the god of lies."

She swallowed, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and fear. "Alright, I'll do whatever you say. Just please don't hurt my mom."

He let go of her jaw and took a step back. "Good. Any questions?"

"Yes," she said, her voice shaking. "Where will I be staying?"

This wasn't going to go over well, he could tell. "You'll be staying in my room with me."

Riley recoiled, her face scrunching up in horror. She shook her head fiercely, opening and closing her mouth, but unable to get words out. "No," she finally got out, her voice a small whisper.

"What did we just discuss?" He sighed. "You don't have a choice."

Tears sprang to her eyes. "Please, don't do that," she begged. "Please."

His expression softened as he took a step towards her. "I didn't mean it like that," he told her. "I won't force you into something like that."'

"Then why?" She asked, not sounding very convinced.

Loki didn't want to tell her the truth. Honestly, he didn't want her out of his sight. He didn't think he could bare it. But he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't admit weakness. "I have my reasons," he said simply.

There was a long, awkward silence. "I want to ask you something," Riley said, chewing on her lip. "I know I just got here, but my mom has probably already woken up and I'm worried about her. Can I just go see her to say goodbye?"

He considered it for a moment. "She's being moved to another home, as I promised, as we speak. She'll be busy right now."

"She's my mom. Trust me, she won't be too busy for me. Please, she'll be worried sick."

He stared into her eyes and made a decision. There was no way he was going to let her go after he had just found her, but there was another solution. "You can go, but I'm going to come with you," he told her.

"Fair enough," she said slowly.

"Alright then, I'll take you to her."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

The house Loki had moved Riley's mom to was a simple but beautiful home. It was white with blue shutters, and was two stories tall. It was the kind of home Riley knew Janet had always dreamed of having.

It was located a few miles outside of New York city, in a nice private neighborhood. This was a relief to Riley; having her mom outside of the city meant that she'd be safer.

"What do you think?" Loki asked from behind her. She jumped and looked back at him. She had forgotten that he was even there.

They stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the house. She walked up to the front door and when she knocked, a man in a suit answered the door. She gave Loki a questioning look.

"I figured your mother would need some help, considering her condition. This is the butler."

When the man saw Loki, his eyes went wide and he quickly opened the door wider. "Come in, sir," he said hastily.

The inside was pretty in the same simple way. The floor were wood and the walls were painted a greyish blue color. "Where's my mom?" She asked the butler.

"In her bedroom," he told her.

"And where would that be?"

"Down the hall, second door to your left."

She followed his directions, ignoring the God behind her. Right now she wanted to focus on her mom. Who knew when she was going to see her again? She opened the door, and her heart broke a little at the sight before her.

Janet was laying in her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her eyes were red and puffy. Only once had Riley seen her mother like this...

_No, _she told herself before she could continue the thought. _Not now. _

"Mom?" She said softly, placing her hand on her mom's leg.

Janet's eyes immediately lit up as she laid her eyes on her daughter. "Riley?" Her voice was filled with relief. "Oh, you're alright!"

Riley wrapped her arms around her mom, her eyes filling with tears. "Yeah, I'm okay."

From the corner of her eyes, Riley could see Loki slowly shutting the door, giving her and her mom some privacy. _That's weird, _she thought, but she didn't dwell on it for long.

"What's going on?" Janet asked. "They didn't tell me much. Only that I would be moving, and you had been taken away by that Loki. What happened, Riley?"

And so, Riley began to tell her mom everything.

* * *

It was one of the rare moments in Loki's life that he felt awkward. As he waited for Riley to come out, he caught multiple servants giving him surprised looks. He was sure he looked ridiculous; he probably seemed like some sort of guard dog.

But still, he sat outside of Janet Chappel's bedroom for hours, listening to the mother and daughter discuss everything that was going on. It was fascinating to hear exactly what Riley thought about everything. At the same time, it made him angry.

He didn't understand how she didn't have the same feelings he did. How could she not feel the pull between them? The connection he felt?

_Patience, _he told himself. He could get her to feel the same, he knew it.

He wasn't called Silver-Tongued for nothing.

* * *

Riley spent all day with her mom, talking, laughing, but mostly crying. It was the first time in forever that they had talked so openly with each other.

But eventually, Loki told her that it was time to leave. There was some more crying, and then she left, with a terrible feeling that that was the last time she would see her mom for a very long time. She sat in the limo with Loki, watching as the house slowly disappeared.

Leaning back in her seat, she yawned. After the previous night of sleeping on the slide, and everything she'd been through this day, Riley was exhausted. She closed her eyes, shifting into a more comfortable position. She couldn't wait to get back to the house and into her bed-

Then she remembered whose bed she was going to be in and her eyes went wide. _Calm down, _she told herself, taking a deep breath. _It's going to be ok. _She chewed on her lip and glanced over at Loki. When she saw that he was staring at her, she quickly looked away. All traces of fatigue had vanished, the weariness replaced by nausea.

As they pulled into the garage, the feeling increased. Loki walked over and opened her car door, holding out his hand.

"Um, actually this limo is really comfy," she told him. "Can I just sleep here today? I don't like sleeping in beds..." It was probably the lamest lie she'd ever told, but there was still a flicker of hope.

He heaved a sigh. "You are a terrible liar, Darling."

"I'm not lying! Last night I slept in a slide. Seriously. I don't like beds!"

"Ok," he said, a mischievous smile creeping up his face. "I'll just stay in the car with you. It's much smaller than my bed, anyways."

"Ok, ok!" Riley exclaimed. "I'm coming out!"

"No, I think your idea is much better."

She scowled up at him and climbed out of the car, refusing the hand he offered her. He made a sound of disapproval in the back of his throat, but didn't say anything. He took her arm and guided her into the house.

"Are you sure I shouldn't have my own room?" She questioned, her anxiety rising with each step she took. "I toss and turn _so _much in my sleep. I would probably drive you insane."

They started going down the hall of the third floor. She waited for him to reply, but he ignored her. There were only a few doors on the third floor, and it was clear they were heading to the one at the end. Desperate, she started blurting random nonsense about why she shouldn't share a room with him.

"I have athletes foot!" She lied. "You don't want to get it! Oh and I'm pretty sick!" The cough she faked was actually pretty good, at least she thought so, but Loki obviously wasn't fooled.

"Stop lying," he ordered as he opened the door and pulled her into his room.

Her jaw dropped as she took it all in. It was gorgeous. There was a fireplace with a TV mounted onto it in the corner, surrounded by couches, and in another corner was a hot tub that was built into the ground. But that wasn't what caught her attention. No, what made her jaw drop was the massive bed in the center of the room.

It was at least ten feet long and wide, and gauzy golden curtains hung around it. It was covered in pillows and a satin emerald green comforter. She shut her mouth and shook her head. "Wow," she remarked. "You really like the color green."

"Do you not like the color?" He asked. He almost sounded...worried. She looked at his face, but there was nothing in his expression to suggest that she was right.

"Actually, green is my favorite color," she found herself saying.

He smiled. "Good," he said softly. He pointed over to a wall with two doors. "Left door is my closet, right door is yours. And the bathroom is through that door," he gestured to opposite end of the room.

"Ok," she nodded. "But I don't have any other clothes."

"Your clothes have been replaced," he told her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall go get changed."

He disappeared into his closet. She chewed on her lip for a moment, before she decided to go into her closet. _Whoa, _she thought as she entered it. _That's a lot of clothes. _Everything seemed to be organized in categories. She touched a light purple evening gown, and then went over to the pajamas.

Her cheeks turned bright red at some of the choices. They really weren't that bad, but they showed more skin than Riley was comfortable with. She selected a pair of pink plaid pants and a black tank top. She didn't like showing her shoulders, but there wasn't anything better.

Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly walked out of her closet and over to the enormous bed. Loki was already laying in it, reading a book. When she noticed that he didn't have a shirt on, she stopped dead in her tracks.

He might be a psychopath, but she had to admit, he was pretty hot. He was lean, with defined muscles-not cut like a bodybuilder, but she liked it better this way.

Loki looked up from his book and gave her a look. "Are you coming?"

She nodded, and slowly approached the bed. Trying to avoid looking at him, she climbed under the sheets and lay down at the very edge with her back to him. She shut her eyes tight, her body stiff.

"Really?" She heard him say, his voice laced with annoyance. "You think you can get away with that? What did we talk about earlier?"

Not knowing what else to do, she faked a snore. Loki chuckled and a pair of arms wrapped around her. She yelped as he pulled her close to him, and tried to squirm out of his grasp. He tightened his hold on her, pressing his mouth to her ear.

"Stop," he whispered. "Now."

There was something in his voice that chilled her to the bone. It wasn't that he sounded angry, or dangerous. No, what made her stop struggling was the authority in his voice. The way he said it made her feel like there was no choice to obey. Like, he was in charge and there was nothing she could do but follow him.

And it scared the bleep out of her.

"Very good, Darling," his warm breath on the back of her neck made Riley's hair stand on end. Her whole body shook, but she couldn't stop it no matter how hard she tried. "Now all you need to do is relax."

He turned her around so that she was facing him. "Shh," he breathed, running his thumb gently up and down her cheek. Involuntarily, her muscles loosened up. A small smirk of victory appeared on Loki's face.

"You're using a spell, aren't you?" She growled, narrowing her eyes.

His grin widened. "I suppose I am, but not the kind you are thinking of."

She scowled at him, but didn't reply. As he continued caressing her cheek, she found herself getting more and more sleepy. She fought against it, she refused to fall asleep in _Loki's _arms. But eventually, she was too tired to fight it and she drifted off to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for all the follows and reviews! You guys are the best :)**

**Chapter Nine:**

Light filtered through the windows, illuminating Riley's face. She smiled in her sleep, letting out a soft sigh. It was tempting to delve into her dreams, but Loki was much more interested in what was in front of him.

He pressed his nose up against her silky hair, breathing in the scent of strawberries. He smiled and pulled away, taking his time to admire her. His fingers trailed gently up her bare arms, and he marveled at how soft her skin was.

In this moment, when Riley was peacefully sleeping, Loki was free to truly enjoy her closeness. He stared at her face, memorizing every detail. None of the women in Asgard could ever compare to her beauty. He loved the soft roundness of cheeks, the gentle curves of her lips, the splattering of freckles under her eyes and on her nose.

His hand moved along her side, dipping at the waist and then rising at her hips. She had such lovely curves. As he studied her, a voice inside nagged at him. Deep down, he knew that everything he was feeling was weakness, and suddenly a terrible thought crossed his mind.

What if one of his enemies used Riley against him?

The muscles in his jaw tightened. The thought of someone hurting her to get to him was unbearable. Loki's home was heavily protected, but what if someone was able to break through the magical barriers he had set up?

He had a meeting in only half an hour. It would take place in a building only a mere mile away, but to him it seemed like thousands. Mortals were so very fragile. A crease formed between his brows. He was meeting with the 'leaders' of the world, all of whom were enemies, so bringing Riley wasn't an option. If they saw her, they would see how attached he was to her, and that would guarantee someone making an attempt to hurt her.

Canceling the meeting would rouse suspicion, so that wasn't an option either. Loki was sure his best chance at keeping her safe was keeping her a secret, at least for now. At the moment, no one knew about her. Well, besides his servants but they were all half-wits. There was no way any of them would be brave enough to try something.

He supposed his only choice was to leave her. He would strengthen the barriers, and check on her throughout the meeting. _Riley will be safe, _he told himself.

Riley stirred and yawned, her dark brown eyes slowly opening. "Good morning, Darling," he said softly, kissing her forehead.

"Morning," she replied, shutting her eyes and nestling up against him. He was feeling rather pleased, until she actually processed what was going on. Her eyes flew open and she yelped, scrambling away from him. "Ow!" She cried as she bumped her head against the wall.

Loki sat up, rolling his eyes at her foolishness. "That was a brilliant idea."

Rubbing that back of her head, Riley shot him a glare. "You can't just kiss my forehead!" She told him.

"I am not sure anymore if you're just extremely stubborn, or painfully clueless," he sighed, giving her a look.

"Well, maybe I'm both! Haven't thought of that, have you, Bub?" She retorted. "Wait...never mind.. that's not a good thing, is it?"

"No," he snorted, shaking his head. "Anyways, I'll forgive your disobedience this once. Now, come back over here."

A moment passed as she chewed on her lip, clearly hesitant to comply. "Do I really have to? It's not that I don't want to be near you, it's just I, uh, I need to go..." her voice trailed off as she thought of something to say. "I need to go...pee?"

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not! I need to go really bad," she begged. "I promise, I'll be right back."

Obviously, Loki knew she was lying to him. She was only trying to buy time. The extreme discomfort she felt when she was with him was beginning to get on his nerves. Nevertheless, he sighed and motioned for her to go ahead.

After a couple of moments, he stood and entered the bathroom as well. The toilet was in a mini room of its own, so he wasn't worried about invading Riley's privacy. He headed towards the shower, contemplating the current situation. The exasperation he felt was slowly eating him alive.

It hadn't even been an entire day, so somewhere deep down Loki knew that it wasn't unusual for Riley to be so uncomfortable. But he couldn't be satisfied with that answer. As he stood under the warm water of his shower, he found himself shaking with rage.

It simply wasn't fair. He had spent so much of his life trying to avoid romantic connections, and with a single glance, Riley had changed all of that. One small, _mortal girl _had brought him to the brink of insanity. One girl had filled his every thought, by merely _existing. _He, Loki Laufeyson, a god and king, had fallen for an insignificant _mortal. _

And she didn't return his feeling at all.

What he felt for her wasn't quite love, not yet, but it was powerful and he hated it. Loki had had many maidens fall in love with him, but he had never returned the feelings. He'd enjoyed toying with women's emotions, enjoyed breaking their hearts. But now, for the first time, the tables were turned and _he _was the one suffering.

He gritted his teeth, slamming a fist against the wall of the shower. It wasn't a hard enough hit to break it, but it made a loud sound. It was immediately followed by a crash and a yelp. His eyes widened and he turned the water off, reaching for a towel.

Riley's nose wrinkled in disgust as she heard the shower turn on. Panicking silently, she flushed the empty toilet and stood up. The shower was by the bathroom door, so she would have to pass it. She chewed on her lip nervously, taking a minute to prepare herself. _I'll just look away_, she told herself. _But what if I accidentally see something?!_

Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door, tiptoeing as silently as she could. As she neared the door, she made sure to pay attention to only it. Riley tried her hardest to hold her breath, although she wasn't actually sure why.

She was almost to the door, when she heard a loud bang. Jumping at the sudden noise and with a yelp, she slipped and smacked her head against the tile. Pain seared in her head, and everything turned black.

She woke up moments later to see Loki's face inches away. He held her against his bare chest, his forehead creased with a mixture of anger and worry. "Are you alright?" He asked, caressing the back of her head.

"I'm fine," she replied, sitting up quickly to get out of his arms. That was a mistake. The pain burned red hot, causing her to gasp. "Oh, bleep!" Riley groaned, rubbing the bump that was already forming.

"What were you doing?" Loki snapped. When she looked into his eyes, she was surprised to see how much rage was in them. "This is the second time in ten minutes that you have harmed yourself! Can I not trust you to even take care of yourself?!"

Her eyes narrowed defiantly. "Well, _you're _the one who scared me! Both times! So, really, this is _your _fault, Bubba," she retorted, folding her arms. Her eyebrows drew together in a scowl, and her lower lip stuck out slightly.

"Oh, very mature," he responded, rolling his eyes. "You are such a child."

"Am not!" She whined. Raising an eyebrow, he gave her a pointed look. Riley puffed out her cheeks and stood up. "Fine, you win. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go..." she drew out the last word, her eyes shifting, as she searched for a reason to leave. "Go make the bed! Yeah! Because _I'm _a good person!"

She spun on her heel and walked out of the bathroom with her head held high, feeling extremely awkward but trying to to show it. As soon as she shut the door, she heard chuckles coming from the other side.

"Jerk," she muttered, walking towards the bed. Making the bed turned out to be a harder task than she'd expected. It was such a huge bed, and since she knew Loki would see it, she wanted to prove that she could do a good job. So, of course, it had to be perfect.

Right as she finished, Loki came out of the bathroom wearing a white button up shirt and black slacks. He stopped in his tracks as he saw her, a smirk stretching across his face. "Did it really take you this long to make a bed?"

"It's a big bed!" She said defensively.

"You do realize I have servants to do that, don't you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm just not as lazy as you," she shrugged, feeling stupid.

He scoffed and glanced down at his watch. "I have a meeting to attend to," he told her. "As I said yesterday, you are free to go anywhere inside the house. Do try to be careful while I'm gone," Loki turned to leave, but when he reached the door he stopped and looked back at her with a mocking smile on his face. "You might want to stay away from the hot tub. I wouldn't want you to drown."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten:**

Riley sat on the bed, eating a bowl of Special K. As soon as Loki had left, a woman with curly white hair had entered the room, and had asked Riley what she would like for breakfast. A few minutes later, the servant had returned with the cereal she had asked for, and then with a curtsy the woman, whose name was Betty, had hurried out of the room.

It had been such a strange encounter. Betty had seemed so terrified of Riley. When she had asked what her name was, Betty had gasped and started apologizing, begging Riley not to Loki of whatever mistake she had made. It took a while for Riley to explain that she _hadn't _made a mistake, and she was just wondering what the servant's name was.

Betty had seemed relieved, but she still said her name and left as quickly as possible. Riley wondered what Loki had done to make Betty so scared of him. Well, besides the obvious, of course.

After she finished her cereal, she went into the bathroom. Earlier that morning, she had noticed the cool tub in the bathroom. It was the clawed foot kind of tub that she'd seen in movies. The moment she saw it she wanted to use it, but she wasn't going to with Loki in the same building.

Even now she was a bit hesitant. What if he came home early? She shuddered, but still turned the water on. While she waited for the tub to fill up, she examined some of the shampoos and stuff by the bathtub. Riley giggled as she came across a bottle of bubble bath soap. _Very manly, _she thought, shaking her head. It did have a very masculine smell, but still.

She put of couple of capfuls of it into her bath. Her strawberry shampoo and conditioner had apparently been brought here, so that was good. The smell of strawberries was one of her favorites.

A sigh escaped her lips as she slid into the warm water. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. For an entire minute she was able to lay in the tub, her mind completely clear. But then, her thoughts interrupted the moment of peace.

Her eyes wandered over to the shower, her nose wrinkling as she recalled the awkward encounter that had happened only about an hour ago. Why did she have to be so clumsy? It wasn't the fact that she had slipped that was embarrassing. No, it had been that fact that Loki had held her.

_Naked._

Of course, he'd had a towel covering him, but it still made her turn bright red. Riley shook her head, trying to push the memory away. Already she'd had multiple awkward experiences with Loki, and it had only been a day. How was she going to continue on like this for the rest of her life?

Well, at least until Loki got tired of her.

She doubted he would keep her very long. The truth was, she had no idea why she was here in the first place. Riley didn't understand why he wanted her. She was no beauty, in fact she was barely good-looking enough to be considered plain. She was too fat, and her face was totally ordinary.

So it _couldn't _be her appearance. But what else could it be? He hadn't known her at all before they met, so it also couldn't be her personality. Had Loki just chosen her randomly? But then, why was he so...obsessed with her?

_Maybe Gods work differently, _she wondered. _Maybe they're like animals and I smell good, or something. Yeah, that makes sense. But wait...an animal's instinct is to-_her eyes widened with horror. "Ew!" She cried aloud. "Ew, ew, EW!"

She sat upright stiffly, trying her hardest to convince herself that something like _that _would never happen. But the more she thought of it, the more probable it seemed. After all, she was sharing a bed with him. Something was bound to happen, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She shivered and lay back in the tub, running her fingers through her soaking wet hair. The water didn't seem as warm anymore. She washed her hair as fast as she could, and then got out of the tub, wrapping her towel tightly around herself.

As soon as she reached her closet, she poured over her clothes, trying to find something, anything, to wear. The first thing she searched for, of course, was underwear, and her jaw dropped at what she saw. The amount of lace and silk she saw was appalling. Her face turned crimson red, and she selected the plainest underwear she could find.

After that, she threw on the first things she could find; a pair of dark denim jeans, a pink blouse, and a pair of orange socks. Once she was wearing clothes again, she felt a little better. Riley sighed and leaned up against the wall, her arms folded against her chest. The underwear had pretty much confirmed her suspicions.

But she wasn't going to let it happen.

Perhaps, in the end, resistance was futile, but there was no way she was going down without a fight. A glimmer of hope remained, however. Loki had told her that he wasn't going to force her into anything like that, and even though he was a liar, he had seemed sincere. Maybe, just maybe, he had the decency to leave her alone.

Although, everything that had happened suggested otherwise. _Stop it, _she told herself, pressing the palms of her hands to her temples. _Don't think about it. Worry later._

Chewing on her lip, Riley walked out of her closet. She needed to find something to take her mind off of everything, so she decided to start exploring the house. There had to be something fun to do. Maybe he had some books somewhere.

She used the stairs instead of the elevator. Who used an elevator to go down one flight of stairs? When she was on the second floor, she didn't even bother to examine her surrounding, she just went through the first door. If she had, she would have noticed that the door she went through was the _only _door. But she wasn't disappointed in what it led her to.

The entire second floor was a huge library. Books were everywhere she looked, every shelf was packed full of them. She squealed with delight, jumping and clapping her hands. Never in her life had she seen something so beautiful. Suddenly, she was racing down the aisles of the shelves, running her fingers over the spines of the books. Everything was alphabetized by author, just like a regular library.

Riley almost felt like crying as she reached a certain book. _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, _the spine read. She pulled it off the shelf, hugging the book to her chest. _Harry Potter _had been her favorite book series ever since she read the first book when she was five. The seventh book was her favorite, though.

Grinning like an idiot, she sat on one of the couches in the corner and began reading the book. It was easy to lose herself in it, and every thought and worry drifted away from her mind. Cuddling and naked gods were replaced by horcruxes and hallows. Because as soon as she opened that book, she was in another world.

* * *

Loki was impatient to get back to his home. His eyes kept shifting back to the clock as President Ellis went on and on about current affairs. It would surprise most people how much it usually interested Loki-he'd wanted to be a king for a reason-but his mind was far away.

As he stared at the other 'leaders,' he wondered again why he allowed them to keep their positions of power. Or at least the appearance of power. Everyone knew that Loki was the one to make all the decisions. The 'leaders' of the world were only there for looks, seeing as all the input they gave wasn't really taken into consideration when Loki made choices.

And now they were keeping him from Riley.

Really, Loki knew that the leaders were more useful than just a face. Ultimately, Loki made the decisions, but he allowed the others to work out the minor details, which left less work for him to do. So, really, they were actually sparing him from future separation from Riley. But at the moment, Loki wasn't really thinking about that.

He wanted to be with Riley, and he wanted to be with her _now. _

Tapping his fingers restlessly on the table, Loki glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time. _What is she doing right now? _He wondered. He hoped she wasn't doing anything stupid. It seemed like his little mortal liked to get into trouble. The smallest hint of a smile graced his lips at this thought. Riley was such an absurd girl.

"Sir, are you even listening?" President Ellis asked, his nearly invisible eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

Loki shot him a glare. "How impertinent of you to even ask such a thing," he said edgily. The President gulped, taking a step back and opening his mouth to apologize, but Loki quickly cut him off. "Of course I'm listening. However, I don't feel like discussing this issue at the moment, so I suggest we adjourn for the day."

"But, My King-" The Prime Minister of England began to say.

"Don't question me. We will meet again tomorrow," he stood.

"King, I mean no disrespect, but we have all flown from very far away to be here today."

Loki laughed. "That's very nice, but I really couldn't care less. You will all be here tomorrow, and that is when we will discuss these issues, understand?"

The Prime Minister took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I understand. I will see you tomorrow."

With a tight smile, Loki dipped his head in farewell and walked briskly out of the room, his thoughts filled with a pair of dark brown eyes.

In only a few minutes he was strolling into his house, feeling an embarrassing amount of relief at finally being home. He moved to the receptionist, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know where the girl is?"

She nodded, her hand shaking as she tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ears. "She's in the library. Jim checked on her a few minutes ago."

Loki nodded and headed up the stairs to the second floor, resisting the urge to start running. As soon as he entered the library he saw Riley, curled up on a couch in the corner, her nose buried in a book. She was so engaged that she didn't even notice him.

He approached her, surprised at her total lack of acknowledgment. Crouching in front of her, he was stunned by just how beautiful she was. Her eyebrows were slightly drawn together and her lips were pursed in an expression of deep concentration. Wondering what book captured her attention so, his eyes flew to the cover of the book.

"_Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,_" he read aloud.

Riley gave a little start, her eyes widening as she saw him. "You're back," she swallowed hard, pushing herself against the couch.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Yes, and as I've said many times, I'm not going to hurt you. You really have got to stop being so nervous around me," he told her, shaking his head. When she didn't reply, he motioned to the book. "Is it a good book?"

"Are you serious?" Her jaw dropped, as well as her stiffness. "You've been here for like, what, five months and _you haven't read Harry Potter?_"

"No, I haven't."

"Well, to answer your question, it's _beyond _good. _Harry Potter _is the best book ever written."

He grinned. "So you have read it before?"

"Only like a billion times," she answered.

Loki took the book from her hands, turning it in his hands. "Well, perhaps I should give it a try."

"You can't start with that one," she sighed as though stunned by his ignorance. "That's the seventh book."

"The seventh?" His eyebrows went upwards. "How many books are there?"

"This is the last book. The first one is called _Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone,_" she pointed over to a row of shelves. "You'll find it over there under _R _for _Rowling._"

He laughed at the tone of her voice. "Alright, Darling, I'll be right back."

Moments later he returned and tossed the book onto her lap. "What the?" She said, looking confused. Riley seemed to be uneasy again.

"I want you to read it to me," he said simply, sitting on the floor in front of her.

She looked from him, to the book, then back at him. "No! You read it yourself!"

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a pointed look. Riley glared back at him, then rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine!" She relented. "I get it, 'You have to do what I say,' right?"

"Very good, Darling."

Chewing on her lip, she started to read. "Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, privet drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much..."

The sound of Riley's voice was mesmerizing. Loki closed his eyes, listening intently to every single word. As she read, he felt something warm ever so slightly swell in his chest, something both wonderful and dangerous. It was small enough for him to ignore, but deep down he knew what it was.

Love.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven:**

"I knew it was Quirrel," Loki said, rolling his shoulders. He and Riley had been reading for hours, with only a couple of breaks to eat and use the restroom. Together, they'd finished the first book in only eleven hours.

"You did not!" Riley accused.

He laughed. "It was obvious. Of course it wasn't Snape, no one makes their villain _that _obvious, and Quirrel was always there when Snape 'did something,' so it _had _to be him. Didn't you realize it was him when you first read it?"

"No," she admitted. "But I was five, so of course I didn't."

Shaking his head, Loki stood and held his hand out for the book. "I'll put it back."

"Thanks," she said, handing it to him.

Riley didn't even flinch when his hand brushed against her. He grinned inwardly; he had been right. Reading the book together has lessened some of her disgust towards him. Probably not by much, but it was something. He turned around and headed for the bookshelf, carefully putting the book back in its place.

When he got back to where Riley was, she was curled up on the couch, fast asleep. A smile crossed his lips. Briefly, he considered moving her upstairs to their bedroom, but she looked so peaceful. So, he grabbed a blanket and settled into the space between Riley and the couch. Her body fit so perfectly with his. He wanted to stay up and enjoy her like he had done the night before, but the sound of her breathing lulled him to sleep.

* * *

When Riley woke up, she wasn't surprised to find Loki's arms wrapped around her waist. This time she didn't flip out, but she did feel extremely awkward and turn bright red. Chewing on her lip, she tried to decide the best way to untangle herself from him, without waking him up.

She took a deep breath and started to lift his arm off of her. But as soon as she had lifted his arm about an inch off, she heard a sigh from behind her. "What are you doing?" Loki asked with a yawn.

She grimaced. Mission abort. "Um..." she frantically searched for an excuse that wouldn't make him angry. "Well, your hand...was...uh...too close to my butt!" After she said it, she realized just how awkward it sounded. It took all of her willpower to keep from facepalming at her own stupidity.

"And what is wrong with that?" He asked, and even though she couldn't see him she could tell he was smirking.

Riley sat up quickly and looked back at Loki with a glare. "That isn't funny."

The devious grin on his face only widened. "Oh, does the thought _bother _you?"

"Ew!" She exclaimed at the obvious reference he was making. Throwing the blanket off her, she made a move to stand, but Loki grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"I was only jesting, Darling," he told her. "You do not have to leave. I promise I will not touch your rear, however tempting it is to do so."

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "No thanks. We should be getting up, anyways. I'm starving."

"What do you want for breakfast?" Loki asked, stretching as he sat up.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "What is there?"

He shook his head and laughed. "Anything you want, of course."

"Even bacon?"

Loki gave her a look. "No, my servants can prepare anything but bacon," the sarcasm in his voice was thick.

"Alright, sheesh. No one likes sarcasm, Loki."

"I do."

"Well, you don't count!"

Rolling his eyes, he drew his phone out of his pocket and called his servants. He asked them to make eggs, pancakes, and bacon. As he spoke on the phone, Riley studied his face. There was something so insanely attractive about him, and she struggled to pinpoint it exactly. Parts of his face were soft and beautiful, while other parts were rugged and handsome, and together his features all combined perfectly. It was like the soft parts accentuated the rugged parts, and vice versa.

Loki was the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes one, and she hated him for it. Well, mostly she hated herself for it. How could she find such such a despicable man so gorgeous? It wasn't right. She should be totally repulsed by the _thought _of him. And she was, right? _Of course I am, _she reassured herself. But part of her wasn't so sure.

Loki caught her staring and he raised his eyebrows. She quickly looked away, her cheeks hot from embarrassment. She felt his eyes on her as he hung up the phone, which made her turn a brighter shade of red.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, sounding amused. "You're scarlet red."

She bit her lip. "I was just remembering something that happened when I was younger."

"Your eye twitches when you lie."

"It does not," she insisted defensively.

"How would you know?"

After a few moments of thinking, Riley responded. "Oh! Oh! I know! I _wasn't _lying so obviously my eye doesn't only twitch when I'm lying." She was pretty pleased with her logic-maybe she was a good liar after all.

Loki stared at her like she was an idiot. "Do you think I'm an imbecile? You were lying."

"Fine. I was, but I don't need to tell you what I was thinking. My thoughts are my own, and there's nothing you can do to change that," she folded her arms against her chest, and stuck her chin out in a look of defiance.

"And here I thought you were beginning to learn how things work here," he sighed.

She stared at him for a long time, chewing thoughtfully on her lip. Was this really worth standing up for? It would anger Loki for sure, and she knew how violent and unpredictable he could be. But didn't she owe it to herself to at least try? Setting her jaw, she spoke in a firm voice. "I'll try to do everything you ask, except for this. My thoughts are my own, and that's how it's going to stay."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. You can't control my thoughts or make me tell you them. I need at least that much privacy."

"How endearing," his laugh was devoid of humor. "Do you really believe you're in the position to make demands? Foolish girl. You have no control here."

Her temper flaring, Riley stood. "That isn't much to ask for!" She snapped. "It's only fair!"'

Loki rose, towering above her. The look on his face sent chills down her spine. "You will do whatever I tell you to do," he hissed.

"If you wanted someone to blindly obey your every order, well, you chose the wrong girl," she hated how much her voice trembled. Her fists were clenched in a tight ball, in an effort to keep them from shaking.

"Why do you insist on defying me?" He asked, his eyes burning into hers. He grabbed her jaw, giving it a squeeze. "Words of disobedience are all that comes out of those pretty lips," a devious smirk spread across his face. "I suppose I'll just have to stopper your mouth."

He moved his mouth closer, but before he could close the gap between their lips, she smacked him across the face as hard as she could. Loki took a step back, cupping his cheek with his hand. Riley was sure it more out of shock than pain, but she was just as satisfied. As his eyes moved back to her, she could see the bewilderment clearly. With a little squeak, she realized that his shock could soon turn to furry. So, she turned sharply on her heel and ran.

Of course, she didn't get far. As soon as Loki had recovered, he was running after her. He was much faster than her, and caught up with her with ease. She yelped as she felt his hand on her forearm, and he yanked her towards him.

"That was an exceptional idea," he mocked her. She looked up at him, surprised to find that he seemed more amused than angry. "Really, what did you expect would happen?"

She shrugged, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "I don't know. I was just stalling, I guess." If she'd learned anything about Loki, it was that with him honesty was the best policy.

He pulled her against his chest. "I won't kiss you this time," he whispered in her ear. "But if you _ever _do anything like that again, I swear, I will do much more than kiss you. Do you understand, Riley?"

"Yes," she replied, swallowing hard. "I promise I won't do it again."

"Good," he said, releasing her.

A servant entered the room, carrying a large tray with their breakfast. The servant placed it on a coffee table, took a deep bow, and then hurried out. Riley walked around Loki, heading for her plate. She wasn't really sure why, but she was starving and the smell of bacon made her stomach rumble.

She totally forgot about Loki as she ate, concentrating purely on the food. Never in her life had she had better food. A moan escaped her lips as she bit into the bacon. "This is the best bleeping bacon in the history of bacon," she said aloud. "I think I might start crying."

"I suppose it's rather appetizing," Loki mused.

She ignored him, taking another bite of bacon. It didn't take her long to finish her food. In fact, if she hadn't been so absorbed, she would be embarrassed at how fast she'd wolfed down her food.

"You act like you haven't eaten in years," he remarked, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Yeah, well, being around you burns calories," she retorted, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She avoided his gaze, her cheeks turning bright red.

"I didn't mean it as an insult," Loki told her, sounding surprised. "In Asgard, most would have taken it as a compliment."

She raised an eyebrow doubtfully, but didn't respond. After a few minutes of awkward silence, she stood and started to walk towards the door, praying that he wouldn't try to stop her.

"Where are you going?" He asked after she had taken a couple of steps. Rolling her eyes, she turned back around to face him.

"To take a shower."

"Oh, well, I'll join you," a mischievous smile spread across his face.

Riley's jaw dropped. Searching for a way to respond, her mouth opened and closed as she shook her head furiously. "No!" She was finally able to say. "I-I would rather die!"

A laugh escaped his throat. "I'm afraid that's not an option, Darling."

"But-no!"

"Alright, alright," he said, sighing with a grin. "I guess you'll just have to wait until I'm done with my shower. I have another meeting to attend."

"Oh, good," she said, relieved.

Loki rose, and walked swiftly out of the room. She could hear his footsteps going up the stairs, but suddenly the stop. "Oh, but this time, don't use my body wash!" He yelled down at her. "You smell like a man."

She giggled, despite herself. "I'm sorry! It won't happen again! But, it wasn't body wash, it was bubble bath, and there's nothing _manly _about that!"

Riley heard Loki chuckle, and then the footsteps continued. She bit her lip, her eyebrows drawing together. He was so confusing. One moment he was domineering and hostile, the next he was laughing and almost _normal._

Rubbing her temples, she stretched and tried to push all thoughts of the mysterious God aside.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve:**

Saying goodbye to Loki was extremely awkward for Riley. It wasn't really because of the way he'd caressed her cheek, or even the whispered goodbye that sent chills down her spine. It was the look in his eyes. He had seemed so dismal, like leaving her was the worst thing that could happen.

Heaving a sigh, she lay back on Loki's bed. It seemed like the God of mischief was getting more attached to her, though she couldn't fathom why. How could _he, _a powerful, cruel, attractive _God _even stand being around her?

She hadn't even done anything at all to encourage him. In fact, ever since she'd gotten to his home, she had done the complete opposite! She'd yelled at him, disobeyed him, annoyed him, mocked him, even physically harmed him!

Even if she was right about the 'scent attraction theory,' wouldn't her attitude be a turn off by now? Covering her eyes with her hands, she groaned. "I hate you, Loki," she said aloud, wishing there was _someone _she could talk to about what was going on. She longed to see her mom again, but she knew she wouldn't be able to tell Janet everything that had happened. Riley didn't want to worry her.

_I wish I could go see Airi, _she thought with a sigh. Airi wasn't an exactly an expert on these kind of things, but she had a very logical way of thinking through problems. She would definitely be able to help Riley.

But there was no way for Riley to see her, since she didn't have a phone and Loki wasn't here for her to ask his permission.

Of course...she _could _just go see Airi anyway.

Biting her lip, she shook her head to try to banish the idea. If Loki was to find out that she'd left without his permission, he would be furious! Who knows what he would do to punish her!

_Yeah, but only _if _he finds out, _a voice inside piped up. A plan began to form in her brain. As long as she got home before Loki, he would never know that she had left. She glanced over at the clock on the wall, calculating just how much time she would have. Yesterday he had gotten home around noon, so maybe four hours?

It was a dangerous thing to do, but she was desperate. She _needed _to see Airi. _Loki will never find out, _she convinced herself. _To be safe, I'll come back at 11. Everything will be fine. _

Riley got off her bed, and went to take a shower. As she stood underneath the water, she realized how many things could go wrong. What if one of Loki's servants stopped her before she could even get out of the house? The only way out that she knew of, was through the front door, and there was a secretary right by it. If they caught her, would they tell Loki? It was possible that they would take pity on her, and keep their mouths shut, but they all seemed so terrified of Loki. Most likely, they would spill the beans, fearing punishment.

But even if she was able to sneak past the secretary, what if Loki came home early? She shuddered at the thought. After all the rules she had disobeyed, she was sure this would be the last straw. He would make good on his threats.

What if he hurt her mom? With that thought, Riley lost most of her nerve. She couldn't risk her mom just so she could talk to her friend about what was going on. Although, for some reason she didn't think Loki would actually hurt Janet. The more she thought about it, the more she figured that he would punish her in a different way.

As she turned the water off, she made her decision. She was going to at least try to see Airi, no matter the consequences. She wasn't going to let Loki control her life.

* * *

Riley's heart beat wildly in her chest as she walked down the last flight of stairs. _It will be ok, _she told herself for the umpteenth time, taking a deep breath. Peaking around the corner, a small smile stretched across her face. A different secretary sat at the desk, twirling her platinum blonde locks around her finger. Maybe she was new to the job! She might actually get away with this!

Throwing her shoulders backs, she walked towards the door, trying her hardest to exude an air of confidence. Her fingers had almost touched the handle, when the secretary finally noticed her.

"Oh!" The secretary said. She had one of those airy, high, ditsy voices that so many of the girls at Riley's old high school had had. "I'm sorry, but, like, who are you? And where are you going?"

Riley turned, forcing a bright smile. "You don't know? I'm one of Loki's servants."

"If you're one of his servants, why are you leaving?" The secretary asked, her head slightly cocked to the side in confusion.

"I only work in the morning," her reply came too quickly. She fought hard to keep from biting her lip. Why did she have to be so terrible at lying? There was no way the secretary-even though she _was _a blonde-was going to fall for her story.

"Oh? I'm sorry, I just don't remember you. I guess I just didn't see you this morning. I was so nervous! This is my first day on the job, of course, so I guess it isn't surprising that I totally forgot your face. I am, like, _so _sorry! My name is Valerie!"

Riley couldn't believe what she was hearing. She stared blankly at Valerie for a few moments, before recovering from the shock. "It's nice to meet you!" She replied, shaking the hand Valerie offered. "My name is...Sabrina!"

"That name is, like, totes adorbs!"

"Thank you! Yours is too!" Riley was ecstatic. She was actually going to get away with this! _Thank the heavens for blondes! _

"Well," Valerie said. "I better let you go! I'm sorry I stopped you, I was just worried you were that Riley girl the staff keeps talking about. Have you heard about her?" Before Riley could respond, the blonde just kept going. "Oh, of course you have! What have you caught about her? I heard she's Loki's new 'special servant,' if you get what I mean."

Riley opened her mouth, filled with disgust, but decided it was better not to say anything at all. She didn't want to do anything suspicious, though she doubted Valerie would figure out who Riley really was.

"Anyways, Riley must be _totally _gorgeous to have caught King Loki's attention," Valerie let out a little dreamy sigh. "I mean, I know the king is, like, totes cray, but he's such a babe. That probably sounds really wrong, doesn't it?"

"Eh," Riley shrugged. "He _does _put the 'hot' in 'psychotic.'"

"Exactly!" Valerie exclaimed with a bright smile. "I like you, Sabrina. We should totes eat lunch together some time."

Riley nodded, turning the handle of the door. "Oh, I agree. But right now, I better get going. My fiancee is waiting for me."

"Well, it was nice meeting you! Have a nice day!"

"You, too!"

When she stepped out into the brisk december air, Riley breathed a sigh of relief. She had done it! She walked with a spring in her steps, grinning like an idiot. "Oh yeah, who's the best?" She sang, dancing on the sidewalk. A couple of people gave her 'are-you-bleeping-crazy' looks, which made her duck her head in embarrassment. "Sorry!" She said loudly, staring at the ground with scarlet red cheeks,

It took Riley about twenty minutes of speed walking to get to Airi's apartment. She smiled as she looked up at the large building. Airi lived in a semi-decent neighborhood. Everything was extremely dirty, but it _was _New York, and most of Airi's neighbors were very kind compare to Riley's old neighbors. She wrinkled her nose, remembering Cindy, the old lady who had lived in the apartment next to hers. Cindy was a bitter, nosy lady, and had constantly knocked on Riley and Janet's door, complaining about some trivial matter. Once she had come in the middle of the night, whining that Janet snored too loudly.

A wave of homesickness washed over Riley. Cindy had been annoying, of course, but she would miss the lady's ridiculous stories. Her old apartment had been dirty and run down, but it was home, and now it was gone forever.

She was just standing there, contemplating her life, when she heard a familiar sing-song voice behind her. "Riley?"

Turning around, tears sprang to her eyes as she saw Airi. She threw her arms around her best friend, nearly knocking them both off their feet.

"It's nice to see you, too," Airi laughed, patting her on the back. After a few moments of hugging, Airi seemed to sense that something was going on. Holding Riley at arms length, she gave her a searching look. "Riley, is everything alright?"

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Riley shook her head. "No. It's a really long story."

"I've got time. Do you want to go inside?"

She hesitated. "I don't know. Probably not. I can't stay for very long."

"Why not?"

"Well, that's part of the story."

Airi nodded. "Ok, let's go sit down."

They sat on the steps to the apartment, like they had done so many times before. A small smile crept up Riley's face at all the memories she had of sitting on the stairs to her best friend's apartment, talking about the stupid 'problems' that had seemed so life-changing at the time. If only she could go back to those days.

"Alright, Chip, spill," Airi told her, leaning back.

Rolling her eyes at the use of the nickname Airi had come up for her when they were five, she opened her mouth. But nothing came out. She had no idea how to explain everything that had happened.

"Well?"

"It's just so stupidly complicated!" Riley groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Then just tell me the super-duper simplified version."

She looked over at her best friend and took a deep breath. "Loki showed up at my house the other day, and now I'm living with him."

Airi stared at her blankly, her mouth opened in shock. She shook her head with wide eyes. "Wait, _King Loki? _You can't be serious! You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

"I wish, but no. I'm dead serious. Why would I joke about something like that?"

There were a few moments of stunned silence. "Ok," Airi said slowly. "The simplified version isn't going to cut it. I want the full story, and don't you dare leave any details out. I need to know everything, got it?"

And so, Riley launched into the story. She made sure to include every detail, no matter how embarrassing it was. There were several part that made her turn a bright shade of red, and she was grateful that Airi didn't interrupt her. When she was finished, she waited a moment for Airi's reply. But her friend didn't say anything, just sat there staring at her.

"Airi, please say something," Riley begged. "Anything."

"What do you want me to say?" Airi asked.

"I don't know! I'm just so confused, Airi. Why did he choose me? What am I supposed to do?! Do I have any choice in what I do? Do I just let him have his way every time? Or do I try to fight back?"

"Riley," her best friend said after another long silence. "I don't know what you should do. But I do know what I _think _you should do, and I think you know what it is. You need to stick up for yourself. You can't just let Loki push you around."

"But, Airi, he controls everything about my life! If I disobey, he could hurt you, or my mom, or some random person!"

"You don't control what he does, you only control what you do. If he hurts someone because of something you do, it isn't your fault, it's his. You can't blame yourself."

"But you know I can't do that," Riley said with a sad sigh. "I can't risk you guys. I would never be able to live with myself."

Airi rubbed her back, a pitying look in her eyes. "Well, I think you know the answer to your question," her voice cracked a little as tears formed. "I'm so sorry, Riley. I don't know what else to tell you."

"It isn't your fault," Riley told her with a small, sad smile. "I didn't think there was any other option. Thank you, for letting me get it all out. I better get going."

She stood and stretched. Loki probably wouldn't be home for a long while, but she didn't want to risk it. The sooner she was home, the better.

"Wait!" Airi called as Riley began walking away. "You didn't let me answer your other question. Or, at least try to answer it."

"What question?"

"The 'why he chose you' question. I can see it's been bothering you. I think your scent theory is a good one, but I don't think it's all there is to it. I know you won't believe me, but I'm pretty sure he's attracted to you in a physical way. I mean, it's pretty obvious."

"That's ridiculous," Riley said, rolling her eyes.

Airi gave her a look. "No, _you're _ridiculous. But anyway, I just think you should be warned. Men do crazy things, but a guy with goo-goo eyes is insane."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: **

When Loki saw Jim's name flash across the screen of his cellphone, he knew immediately what it was about. The servant knew that he should only disturb Loki if it was an emergency, and the only thing Loki considered an emergency would have something to do with Riley.

He didn't even answer the phone. Standing quickly, he shoved the cellphone into his pocket and headed for the door.

"Sire!" President Klein, president of Canada, exclaimed. "Where are you going?"

"Something came up, I have to leave," he replied without stopping. His hand had just closed on the handle, when someone else spoke up.

"But, my king, we have to resolve this issue!" This time it was President Ellis.

Loki glanced back at them, his mind far away. "You can resolve it yourselves. I have to go."

He registered the shock on their faces, and then he was out of the door, too worried about his brown-eyed girl to care what the other's thought of him.

Now, as he walked into his home, something close to terror filled his every thought. Loki wasn't even sure what he should expect, and that made everything so much worse.

Jim was waiting for him in the front room, along with a blonde girl Loki recognized as the new secretary. All of the color was drained from the man's face. Loki moved swiftly, his heart beat quickening. "Where is Riley, is she alright?" He asked, not even attempting to mask the panic in his voice.

"We don't know," Jim said slowly.

Loki's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean you don't know?" He growled, grabbing Jim by the throat and lifting him off the ground. "Where is Riley?!"

"Sir," Jim squeaked, pawing at Loki's hand. "She left this morning. W-we had no idea!"

His grip on Jim's neck tightened. "You let her go? You incompetent fool!" With each word, his voice grew louder, until he was practically screaming.

"Sire!" The blonde exclaimed. Loki turned his head, noticing the tears in the woman's eyes. "It was my fault! I thought she was another servant."

He let Jim drop to the floor, focusing all his fury on the girl. She withered under his glare, throwing her hands up and cowering on the floor. His mouth opened as he prepared to unleash his rage on her, when he heard the front door open.

"Oh, bleep," a familiar voice sounded from behind him. Loki whirled around, breathing a sigh of relief, as he laid eyes on Riley. She stood in front of the door, grimacing, and his relief was replaced with anger.

"You," he hissed. "Our room. Now."

She nodded, chewing on her lip nervously. _She should be nervous, _he thought darkly as he followed her up the stairs.

* * *

_I'm going to die. _

That's all Riley could think as she stepped into Loki's room. _He's literally going to kill me. _She stood still, letting the thought really sink in. Who would have thought _this _was how her life was going to end? She had always assumed she would die by, like, tripping into a brick wall or something stupid like that, not by being brutally murdered by a psychopath.

She heard the door being slammed shut, and she winced. A few seconds later, she felt Loki's hot breath on her neck. He was standing close, their bodies only separated by mere centimeters. Riley closed her eyes, preparing for the worse.

"What were you thinking?" Loki hissed into her ear.

She shuddered, but remained silent. There wasn't any reason to speak. He was going to kill her, and she refused to beg for her life. She just wished he would get it over with, instead of dragging it on.

"I said, what. Were. You. Thinking?" After another brief silence, he grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around, his eyes burning into her. "Answer me."

"I'm not sure what you mean," she replied, avoiding eye contact.

"What on earth possessed you to do such a foolish thing? Where did you even go?"

"I went to see a friend."

"Who?"

She looked him in the eye. "That's none of your business."

"_Everything _about you is my business."

"I'm not going to let you kill her!"

"Kill her?" Loki laughed. "Oh, darling, I wouldn't kill her. No, once I find her, I'm going to do much, much worse. And I will find her. Trust me on that. However, I'm not entirely merciless. Tell me where you were, and I won't lay a finger on her."

Riley bit her lip hard, tasting drops of blood. What other choice did she have? She knew that Loki would find Airi eventually. It wouldn't be hard at all. "Her name is Airi," she relented. "Airi Oshiro. She lives in an apartment not too far from here."

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" He let go of her shoulders, but the icy look in his eyes remained. Grabbing her jaw, he stared into her eyes, his lips curled in a sneer. "Now, to decide your punishment. You seem bent on breaking every rule. Tell me, do you enjoy my wrath?"

"N-no," she answered, her entire body shaking. She hated how terrified she was, but she couldn't help it. _I'm weak. _Her breath came out in short little bursts. Desperately, she prayed that she would be the only one to suffer. Before, she had been almost sure that his threats to hurt her mother had just been bluffs, but now, staring into his green-blue eyes, she was filled with doubt.

"N-no," he mocked her. "What's the matter, my dear? Are you scared?"

Riley remained silent. He already knew the answer to that question. She looked away, and tried to break his hold on her face. His grip only tightened, which caused a small whimper to escape her lips.

When he saw that he was hurting her, Loki's grip relaxed just enough for it to be only mildly uncomfortable. "Answer me," he snapped.

"Yes," she whispered, swallowing hard.

He leaned in closer, their faces a hair breadth apart. "Good," he replied, low and dangerous. "You should be."

Turning away from her, Loki took a few steps and opened the door. "Where are you going?" She asked.

He glanced back at her with a dark half smile. "I'm going to go give that foolish secretary her punishment. After all, it is her fault you got out."

Riley's eyes widened in shock. "You can't!" She gasped. "It wasn't Valerie's fault! She had nothing to do with this. She didn't even know who I was! I tricked her. Punish me, not her. Just leave her alone."

"Ah, but you see, this way I can kill two birds with one stone. That pathetic mortal will never be able to make a mistake like this again, and you won't ever think of doing something like this again."

"Please don't do this," Riley begged, tears of desperation spilling onto her cheeks. "Don't kill her. She's innocent. I swear, I'll never leave this house without your permission again."

"Oh, I know you won't. Next time, you'll think of the consequences before doing something stupid."

"Please! I'm sorry, Loki. I'm so, so sorry. I'll do anything to make it up to you, I promise."

But he wasn't listening to her anymore. He turned away from her, and Riley hurried and got in his way, standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?" Loki growled. "Get out of my way."

She stood her ground. "I'm making it up to you," she repli

ed, before doing the only thing she could think of. Cupping his face between her hands, Riley pressed her lips to his.

For a few very brief moments, Loki was rigid and unresponsive, probably in shock. That soon ended, and his arms wrapped around her, pressing her closer to his body. His lips moved aggressively against hers, and Riley was surprised at how well she responded to his kiss. For this being only her second kiss, she wasn't bad.

Their lips moved together perfectly, and what shocked her the most was how much she enjoyed the kiss. All thoughts left her mind, she didn't care who she was kissing, she just reveled in what was happening _now. _She tangled her fingers in his hair, deepening the kiss, and he made a low, approving growl in the back of his throat.

Eventually, Riley was forced to pull away, gasping for breath. As soon as she'd broken the kiss, her rationality began to return. She stumbled backwards, her heart pounding fiercely against her chest.

"W-w-what just happened?" She stuttered, shaking her head to clear the fogginess. Looking up at him, she noticed that he seemed almost as befuddled as she was.

It took him a few seconds to respond. "What just happened, darling, is that you just changed my mind. I'll forgive your mistake, this once," he sounded breathless.

"Oh!" Riley breathed, remembering _why _she had kissed him in the first place. "Thank you, thank you so much."

She stood there a while, trying hard to calm her racing heart. What had she just done? It had been necessary, of course, but that didn't stop the shame. Riley wasn't really ashamed of the fact that she had kissed him-she knew it would have happened eventually-but what _did _mortify her, was just how much she had enjoyed it.

Even now, when she was in her right mind, it took her a surprising amount of strength to resist going in for a second kiss. Something about kissing him had seemed so...right.

And she hated herself for it.

Turning around, she ran her hand through her hair. "I'm going to go to the library," she told him.

Loki reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him. "Don't leave," he said softly. It was more of a request than an actual demand. She swallowed hard and tried to force some distance between them.

"I-I-I need," she stuttered. "I mean, _we _need to start the second Harry Potter book! Yeah...that's it. We have a lot of reading left to do."

Taking his hand, she led him down to the library, sickened by the small little leap her heart gave when their skin touched.

What was happening to her?


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"That's how it ends?!" Loki exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "That was the worst ending yet!"

Riley snickered as she closed the sixth Harry Potter book, shaking her head at the look on the God's face. There was a few moments of silence as she let the ending of the book sink in. "It's killing you, isn't it?" She said after a while, grinning ear to ear.

"Yes! When Dumbledore said 'Severus, please,' what did he mean by it?"

"What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "Well, was he asking Snape not to kill him, or was he asking for something else? Dumbledore was obviously a very powerful wizard, so why didn't he at least _try _to defend himself?"

"Now you're going all 'Sherlock' on me!"

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who is 'Sherlock?'"

Her face lit up. "Oh! I should read some of those with you! And show you the TV show! It's, like, the best show ever. You'd really like it. It has really fascinating cases, and the guy who plays Sherlock is so ho-" she broke off, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Admitting that she thought another guy was attractive probably wasn't the best choice

"So what?" Loki wondered, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"So ho-" she drew the beginning of the word out, searching for a replacement. "-Stile! He's really hostile. It makes him an interesting character."

He gave her a look that told her he wasn't buying it. Loki opened his mouth to say something, but Riley quickly interrupted.

"I already know what you're going to say," she sighed in exasperation, and then added in a bad impression of Loki, "'You're a terrible liar, Darling.' Guess what? He _is _a very hostile person, so in some ways, I wasn't lying. So, ha! I win."

Chuckling, he repositioned himself on the couch, and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Alright, I'll let you win this once. However, I still want to know what you were going to say."

Her breath hitched in her throat as he nuzzled her neck with his nose. It had been a little over a week since they had kissed, but the weird feelings had remained. Every time he touched her, she could practically see the sparks flying. It was pathetic, confusing, and it drove Riley insane. No matter how hard she fought it, the feelings always came. But she didn't give in to them, and she had tried to avoid any physical contact. It was pretty much impossible, but at least they hadn't kissed since that first time.

"Are you going to answer me, my dear?" He asked her, amused.

"Hm? Oh, yeah! Um, you won't be mad will you?"

"No, I won't."

Biting her lip, she squeezed her eyes shut. "I was going to say he was hot!" She blurted. Almost instantly, she felt him go rigid, and she regretted saying anything. The following seconds were filled with suspense, as she waited for a reply.

"And by 'hot,' you are referring to his physical attractiveness, and not his body temperature, correct?"

Knowing it would be dumb to try and lie, she nodded slowly. There was another brief silence, and Riley feared the worse.

"Hm," was all he said. And then his hands were moving up and down her arms, taking away the tenseness and leaving goosebumps in their path. Part of her wanted to tell him to stop, but how could she? She should just be relieved that he wasn't angry. Normally, she would definitely try to put a stop to this, but she had to be careful with him right now. That was the only reason. At least, that's what she told herself.

But, when she felt his lips on her temple, she knew she _had _to put a stop to it. "Uh," she said slowly, trying her hardest to focus. "D-do you want me to go get the next Harry Potter book? We could start today."

"Not now, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to pay attention," he told her in a low, smooth voice.

_Oh bleep, _she thought as his hand made its way down to her thigh. He'd gone way too far. She jerked her leg away, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She struggled to get off his lap, but in one swift move, Loki had her pinned down on the couch. One of his hands held her wrists above her, completely immobilizing her.

He smirked down at her, one eyebrow arched. "What, did that make you uncomfortable?"

Gritting her teeth, she squirmed furiously. "Get off of me, Loki!"

"Manners, dear," he said calmly, though she could see the frustration in his eyes. "Do you remember what your rules are? Or did you forget them completely?"

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. She couldn't think straight, not like this. "What are you talking about?"

"Your rules," he rolled his eyes.

It took her only a moment for this to register. She glared at him, long and hard. "And have you forgotten what you told me? You said you wouldn't try to force me into anything that was...too far."

"And I will not," Loki said, inclining his head slightly. "But am I doing anything? No."

"You and I have very different definitions of what's too far," she mumbled, looking at a spot on the ceiling. Concentrating on it calmed her down and helped make it easier to think.

She fully expected some sort of smart remark, but he remained silent. After a long moment, he sighed and released her. Surprised, she slowly sat up, staring at Loki. He avoided her gaze, picking up the Harry Potter book and examining the cover.

Riley wasn't really sure what she should sky. Had Loki really just listened to her? Why? It was obvious by the look in his eyes that he wasn't very happy. The more she thought about it, the more grateful she felt. Sure, for normal people it wasn't a big deal, but for Loki to do that...It meant a lot to her.

She stood, gently taking the book from his hand. "I'll go put this back," she said softly. He nodded and looked into her eyes, his eyebrows furrowed. Seeing his confusion, something came over her and she found herself pressing her lips gently against his cheek.

That, of course, only proved to perplex him more. "You are an odd creature, Riley Chappel," he said shaking his head slowly. "I wish I could see what goes on inside that pretty head of yours."

Her cheeks turned a bright pink, and with a shrug she went to go put the book away. What _had _been going on in her head? There hadn't been any need for her to kiss him. So why had she done it? Was she beginning to actually _care _about Loki?

No, that was unacceptable, and she wouldn't allow it. Sure he was handsome and occasionally she enjoyed being around him-in fact, ever since she had kissed him, things had been pretty good-but that couldn't make up for all of the things he had done. He had kidnapped her, for heavens sake!

_Is kidnapped really the word? _She wondered. _Or should it be adultnapped? But that doesn't really sound right. Is adultnapped even a word? Wait, why am I even worrying about this? Stop it, Riley. You're such a weirdo. _

Great, she was officially going insane. Not that she hadn't been slightly crazy before, but talking about herself in the third person was a new low. No wonder she had kissed Loki! Her brain was slowly disintegrating.

_Maybe something really _is _wrong with me. Maybe he's drugging my food! Why haven't I thought about that before? _She banged her head against the bookshelf. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _

"What are you doing?" Loki asked. She glanced over at him, groaning internally. How long had he been standing there?

"I'm having a mental breakdown," Riley told him, going back to the head-banging.

He chuckled softly, taking her by the shoulders and turning her to face him. "You are tired. It's late. Come, let's go to bed."

She was pretty tired. With a slight nod, she let him take her hand and lead them to their bedroom

_Oh, bleep. I'm starting to call things ours. _


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took me longer to post...this was a hard chapter to write! My schedule is getting pretty busy, so I might only be posting a couple of chapters a week. Anyways, thank you all so much for the support!**

**Chapter Fifteen:**

By the time they had gotten to the bedroom, Riley wasn't tired at all. As she lay in bed with Loki, she realized how wide awake she actually was. As usual, she was curled up by his side while he poured over a book. Today, he was reading a history book, which she found kind of weird. Why would Loki care about the earth's history? He sure hadn't seemed to care when he tore down the Statue of Liberty, which was a huge part of her country's history.

She squirmed around, trying to find a comfortable enough position, but it was impossible. Though she wanted to, there was no way she was going to be falling asleep any time soon.

"Are you alright, darling?" Loki asked her after a while. "Do you need me to turn the light off?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "You don't need to do that. I'm fine, I'm just not tired anymore, and I'm kind of bored."

He shut his book and tossed it on the nightstand. "Do you wish to talk?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "Talk?"

"Yes, as in converse. You do it by moving your mouth and making sounds with your throat."

"Yeah, I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's just, you never want to _talk_."

Loki looked slightly taken aback. He shifted on the bed, so that the two were eye to eye. "What do you mean? We talk all of the time."

"No we don't! Harry Potter doesn't count!"

"Well, it should," he protested. "Besides, why should any of that matter? We can talk now."

With a long, exasperated sigh, Riley shook her head. "All I'm saying is that we really don't have anything to talk about. I mean, we don't really know each other."

And that had been bothering her for quite some time. She had no business kissing someone when she didn't even know his mother's first name. Riley knew absolutely nothing about his past, and she wanted that to change. She wanted to try to figure the god out, though she doubted that was really possible.

"I do not know why you would say that," Loki said. "We do know each other."

"Really?" She gave him a look. "Alright, what's my favorite song?"

"Why does that matter?"

Had the dude never socialized in his life? And she thought _she _was awkward. "Well, friends usually know these things about each other!"

He blinked, but quickly recovered from his shock. "You think of us as friends?" His voice was masked well, but she could still hear a bit of surprise.

"I don't know," she admitted with a shrug. "We _could _be friends."

For a long while, Loki didn't make a sound. Riley was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze, when he finally spoke. "Alright. Then I suppose we should get to know each other more. What is your favorite song?"

She smiled, an idea popping into her brain. It was _so _Junior High, but Loki wouldn't know that. "I know what we should do. We should play 20 questions!"

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"In a moment. But first you have to swear that you'll answer all of my questions honestly."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're going to be asking me questions?"

_Uh, duh, _she wanted to say. Did he think this was going to be a one-sided thing? "Of course I'm going to be asking you questions. We both get to ask the other twenty questions. I have to answer all of your questions and you have to answer all of mine. No lying."

"And if I do?"

"You won't, because you're going to swear that you'll be honest."

He considered her carefully, and Riley could tell he wasn't convinced. "I don't know," he said finally. "We don't need to talk about me."

She wasn't going to let him get away with this. "I'm not telling you anything if you don't do the same for me. It's only fair. Come on, Loki, it's not like I'll go spouting off whatever you tell me. If I'm going to be here the rest of my life, don't you think I deserve to know you?"

"What kind of things do you want to know?"

"Nothing serious," she told him. This was just to start things off; she could find out the deep stuff later.

Loki visibly relaxed, and a smile stretched across his mouth. "Alright, I swear I will answer every question honestly."

She smiled back at him. "As do I. And to answer your first question, my favorite song is Poison by Alice Cooper."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, a humorous glint in his eyes. "That is one of the few Midguardian songs I have listened to. I did not expect you to listen to anything even remotely like that."

She shrugged. "It's not my usual favorite style of music, but that song is an exception. My mom and I used to listen to it in the car all of the time."

A flood of memories came rushing back to her, and Riley found herself missing her mom more than ever. Maybe if she played her cards right, Loki would let her see her soon. In fact, she was almost sure he'd let her. Probably not alone, but she didn't think he would mind going to visit Janet again.

Realizing that he was waiting for her, Riley quickly made up a question. "What's your least favorite food on earth?"

"I absolutely cannot stand Mexican food. I have no idea why anyone would enjoy it."

Letting out a short laugh, she shook her head. "Me either. I hate Mexican food."

As the questions continued, she grew increasingly comfortable. They both answered the questions easily, laughing together. Even though she knew she probably shouldn't be, Riley was really enjoying herself.

"Alright," Loki started. It was his turn to ask a question. "Who was your first lover?"

"We don't call them that," she told him with a snort. "We call them boyfriends. My first and only boyfriend was named Bryan. We dated for exactly two weeks, and then he broke up with me for another girl."

He scowled. "Why would he do that?"

"She was really pretty," Riley said softly, lowering her eyes. At seventeen, it had crushed her to have him leave her. He had been the perfect guy; tall, athletic, cute, funny, smart. When he had asked her out, she couldn't believe her luck. Why would the star of the football team ask _her _out?

The two weeks had seemed so perfect for her; she thought that things might actually last for them. Which is why it came as such a shock when he had broken up with her for Emily Hart, a popular, pretty blonde girl.

For so long she had seen it as a devastating moment in her life, but it didn't even seem to matter anymore. Not that she thought about it, she deserved better than Bryan. Besides, it had only been a silly crush.

"She can't have been as beautiful as you," Loki said, tipping her head up so that he was looking into her eyes. Even though she knew it wasn't true, she smiled gratefully at him. "Which is why I cannot understand why the fool would ever let you go," he added.

She had completely gotten over Bryan, but a few scars still remained. Though she knew he wasn't good enough for her, it hurt to know that she wasn't good enough for _him. _She wasn't funny enough, or smart enough, or pretty enough. "I just wasn't enough," she told Loki quietly.

"Riley, that is the most foolish thing I have ever heard you say," his voice was firm. "He was not enough for _you, _and I am sure he realized that. But it doesn't matter; he was only a boy," he paused here to brush her hair out of her face. "You are more than enough for me."

That is when it started; a small, warm feeling that began in her chest, and slowly spread throughout her entire body. It was something that she had never felt before, and she couldn't quite identify it. All she knew was that she wanted to be close to Loki. She wanted to know every little detail about the God.

"It's your turn," Loki said softly. She nodded, gathering the courage to ask her next question. It could go terribly wrong, but she had to know.

"Loki," she started, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Why are you here? Why did you come to earth?"

He was silent for a long time, his expression thoughtful. Riley desperately wanted to know what was going through his mind. Finally, he spoke, "That is a very long story."

"I have time," she replied with a small smile. Holding her breath, she waited for him to begin. Was he really going to tell her?

"I came here to finally best my perfect older brother, Thor," he told her, gazing off into the distance. He set his jaw, his expression suddenly turning dark. "And to show his father what I'm capable of."

Her eyebrows drew together. "_His _father?"

"I was adopted," he explained. "My biological father, Laufey of Jotunheim, left me to die as a baby. Odin, my 'father' found me and saw me as means to end the war," Loki scoffed, shaking his head. "I had no clue of any of it, until I discovered the truth almost two years ago. Everything made sense after that; why Odin always preferred Thor, why he chose that oaf as his heir instead of me. He couldn't have a Frost Giant on the throne."

"What's a Frost Giant?" She asked, looking at Loki closely. He didn't seem like a giant; he was tall, but not _that _tall.

He glanced at her, looking hesitant. And then his skin slowly started to turn blue. Gasping, she watched, memorized, as the God before her transformed.

His skin turned a light blue, with darker blue markings, and his eyes turned a deep red, but his features remained the same. Before she could stop herself, Riley stretched out a finger, tracing the strange patterns on his cold skin.

"You're beautiful," she whispered in reverent awe.

Loki laughed without humor. "_Beautiful? _I'm a monster."

"Loki," she said, her eyes wide. "How could you say that? Have you ever _seen _yourself? You aren't a monster. You have to realize that!"

"I don't understand you," he said after a long pause. "How could _you _say that? Even if you do not find this form revolting, how could you say I am not a monster after all I have done?"

It was a good point, and it took Riley a long time to form an answer. When she finally did, she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to say it; but something about the way he was looking at her made up her mind. "Loki, I don't think you're a monster. I think you've done some monstrous things, but that's not who you really are. And I think you know that."

"You are wrong. This is who I am, Riley. Do not try to make me out as some sort of noble creature. You will only be disappointed."

Not in the mood for an argument, and knowing that it probably wouldn't do her any good, she let it slide and remained silent. It was something that she could bring up later, when she had more of her wits about her.

"You know, it's your turn," she reminded him.

"Alright, what happened to _your _father?"

Riley went stiff, her jaw clenching. This was the one question she didn't want to answer. It was tempting to tell him a lie, but she had promised to be completely honest. Taking a deep breath, she said, "My dad left my mother and I when I was eleven. He didn't even tell us; he just didn't come home from work one day. My mother was worried sick, and then five months later we found him in South Dakota," she paused here, feeling hot angry tears spill down her cheeks. "We found him with his girlfriend and their three kids. Suddenly the frequent business trips made a lot more sense."

She was well aware of hour bitter her voice sounded, but she didn't care. What her dad had done was unforgivable. It had destroyed both her and her mother, at least for a time. Closing her eyes, Riley remembered how it had been for her mom. She had taken it much, much worse than Riley ever had. Janet had put on a brave face whenever her daughter was around, but at night Riley would sit outside of her door, listening to the sound of her mom's sobs. It had killed her then, and even thinking of it was painful.

The only reason Riley had gotten over it before her mom, was because the sorrow she felt had quickly turned to hatred for her dad. And the older she got, the angrier she became about it all. How could he have done that to her? Had he even cared about her at all?

She didn't realize she had spoken those last two thought aloud until Loki replied. "It doesn't matter if he cared about you. The man was a pig, and you and your mom are lucky not to have him in your lives," his voice was steady, but she could hear the anger in his words. She felt like he could understand what it felt like, since he had also had problems with his father. He knew what it was like to hate your own father so much that it almost hurt.

Riley scooted even closer to Loki, laying her head on his chest. "Thank you for listening," she said quietly. It had been a long time since she had confided this to someone. Only a few select people knew the whole story about her father, and she liked to keep it that way. It was unlike her to have given it all up so easily. But Loki had trusted her with his story, and it was only fair for him to know hers.

And if she was being honest with herself, there was no one else who she would have rather told.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thank you all for the follows and reviews! You guys make me so happy! I'm sorry this took me so long. This was a pretty hard/awkward chapter to write. I promise I'll keep this book T, lol. **

**Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy this!**

**Chapter Sixteen**

After he was certain Riley was asleep, Loki carefully moved his arm out from under her. Pausing to briefly admire the peaceful look on her face, he brushed a strand of hair back from her forehead. How could she not see how beautiful she was? He smiled softly down at her, before getting up and walking to a window.

He couldn't sleep, not after everything that had happened that night. So he stared out at the city, deep in thought.

Long ago, when he and Thor had only been children, he remembered an incident with their mother, Frigga. She told the both of them about marriage, and how one day they would be expected to find a suitable wife. Thor had found it distasteful, still in that stage when girls were gross, but Loki had thought differently. To him, it made perfect sense. After all, his father had gotten married, so he was anxious to follow in his footsteps.

He grew up expecting to one day be married, but he never found anyone that he would want forever. It hadn't worried him though; he was still young.

Then, after his father's 'surprise', everything had changed. Suddenly, the only important thing was getting his revenge. Marriage was the furthest thing from his mind.

_Was. _

Now, the idea didn't seem so ridiculous. Though he hated to admit it, Loki was in love with Riley. He had finally come to terms with it when she had seen his frost giant form. No one had ever called that part of him beautiful. Ever since finding out about his other form, he had been completely revolted, just as any other Asgardian would surely be.

Part of him still couldn't believe her reaction. It seemed too good to be true. But there was no doubting that she was telling the truth. He could _feel _it, see it in her eyes. Somehow, Riley was able to accept him in his true form. How could he not love her for that?

But there were still things he needed to know. It still didn't make sense why he had been so drawn to her in the first place. Yes, she was incredibly beautiful but there had been something much deeper than that. Before he did anything else, he needed to figure out what that something was.

There was only one way to get the information he needed, and he wasn't too excited to do it.

Withdrawing a small orb from a drawer, Loki took a deep breath. It had been so long since he had used to device in his hand. Would she even answer? He desperately wished there was another way to obtain the book on Jotunns, but he couldn't think of any.

He mumbled a view words under his breath, and closed his eyes. There's was a small _whoosh _and then nothing. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his room. Well, he was physically, but his subconscious was elsewhere.

Surrounding him was nothing but whiteness. As always, he felt a little creeped out by the emptiness. He had always hated this place, but it was useful, and he had many good memories that had taken place here. Even so, he hoped this wouldn't take too long. He decided to wait ten minutes; if she didn't show up within that time, he would return to his room and try another day.

The Void was such an odd place. Because it was only his subconscious present, there was no need to breathe, or blink. He never felt the need to sit down, or shift his weight from one foot to another. He did all of these things, but only out of habit.

He was just wondering how much time had passed, when there was a _pop _and she appeared only a few feet in front of him. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose braid, and she was wearing a long sleeved night gown. She looked tired, and Loki felt regret for waking her.

As he stared at his mother, all he felt was a deep sense of guilt. Her eyes were wide and worried. Frigga let out breath, and her eyes filled with tears. "Loki!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. Of course, she couldn't really feel him, but she didn't seem to care.

"Hello, mother," he breathed, choking a little on the words. Loki hadn't realized just how much he had missed her. It was confusing to him why she wasn't angrier with him. After all he had done, a hug was the last thing he deserved.

"How are you, my son?" she asked, not releasing him

Part of him wanted to sink into the hug, and find comfort in her like he had when he was a child. But he wasn't a child anymore, and this couldn't be allowed. He would not be weak. Tightening his jaw, he pulled away stiffly. "I am not here to exchange pleasantries," his voice was hard, just like it needed to be.

Her eyebrows drew together briefly, as pain flashed across her face. It was gone almost as soon as it had appeared, and her expression became guarded. "Then what _are _you here for?" She asked in an even voice.

"I need something."

Sighing, Frigga pulled a hand over her face. "Of course. Why would I help you? You're keeping my son, and _your _brother as a prisoner! I have no reason to-"

"He's not my brother," Loki hissed, his eyes burning with rage. Taking a moment to cool down, he continued. "And what I ask of you is simple. All I need is a book from the Asgardian library, that is all."

"What book? What do you need it for?" She raised one eyebrow.

"I need the book on Frost Giants," he told her. "Something-something has happened to me. And I need the book to figure it all out."

Frigga looked concerned. "What happened? Are you alright?"

_Always the caring mother, _he thought with a mental sigh. He was about to open his mouth to assure her he was fine, when he realized that this was the perfect angle. "No," he said, making his voice sound defeated. "Nothing is alright. I need that book, or-or-" his voice broke and he looked down in shame.

"Or what?"

"I would rather not say," he mumbled. "Please, please. I just need the book."

He glanced up, and knew immediately that she would do as he asked. Biting her lip, she nodded her assent. "How will I get it to you?" She wanted to know.

"I still have the box you gave me as a child." When Loki was young, Frigga had gifted him with an enchanted box. She had the box's twin, and through them they could pass objects between them. You simply put an object in your box closed the lid, and then the object would appear in the other box. Frigga had used it to sneak Loki books. Odin had not approved of all the reading he did, and had put the library off limits on multiple occasions.

"Alright," she said.

He turned away from here, just about to go back to his room.

"Loki, wait!" Frigga took a step closer. "Do not leave yet. There are so many things I want to discuss with-"

But that was all he heard. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his room, still holding the orb in his hands. Shoving it back in his drawer, he looked over at Riley, who was still peacefully sleeping.

He ached to get back in bed and join her, to feel the warmth of her body pressed against his. But he had important things to do.

What would he do when he had the book? What secrets did it contain? More importantly, what would he do with the information once he knew it? One of the many things Loki wanted to know about the connection between him and Riley was if there was a way to undo it. But even if he could undo it, would he?

Nothing could change the love he felt for her, he was certain of that. But severing the connection could be useful. Maybe then he would be able to think straight when she was around, and not worry so much when she wasn't.

But if he did break the connection, what would happen for Riley? He knew she did not love him, not yet. If he broke the connection, would she never learn to love him? Would she go back to hating him?

He didn't know, and he prayed the book would contain the answers.

He opened the box, which was stuffed under his bed, pleased to find the book in it. Frigga had done it quickly.

Picking it up slowly, Loki sat on his bed, next to Riley's sleeping form, and began to read.

* * *

Loki closed the book, processing all of the information he had received. He wasn't really surprised at what he'd learned but he still needed a moment to take it in.

The explanation on what had happened was simple: When a male Frost Giant reached the age of manhood, they developed a certain ability. An ability to find their one true mate.

It was called Linking.

Not much was known on the inner workings of Linking. But once a Frost Giant felt the pull of Linking towards a female, the two were instantly engaged, and were married within the week. Because they only had ONE true mate, the Jotun's guarded their females jealously, hiding them away from the rest of the world to keep them safe. If a Jotun's mate was killed, it was said that the pain was unbearable, and most male Frost Giants would eventually take their own lives.

The female felt the connection, but not as strongly as the males. If a male was to die, the female would experience the normal amount of grief. Once the male was dead, however, something would reset and another male could become Linked to her. There was never a case where two males had become Linked with the same female when both were still living.

The most important thing Loki had learned was that there was no way to undo the Linking. He and Riley were bound together permanently. The connection would never subside, but would instead grow stronger and stronger.

And oddly enough, Loki was glad. Because for the first time in his life, he had found someone that he wanted _forever._

There were other things that were explained in the book. Like the urge he felt to physically take Riley as his own.

That need would get much worse as time progressed. He tried not to think about it when he was around her, but it consumed most of his thoughts. He wished she wasn't so hesitant with him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could last.

Maybe if she knew the truth of their connection, she wouldn't be so cautious with him.

There was only one way to find out. He would tell Riley the truth of what he had learned.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen:**

When Riley woke up, Loki was gone.

With her eyes still closed, she searched the bed with her hands, surprised at the disappointment she felt when she didn't find him. Where was he? He usually stayed in bed with her for as long as possible. Was he angry with her? She searched her memories, trying to figure out if she had done anything wrong the night before. She didn't think so. In fact she felt like last night had gone surprisingly well...

But maybe she was wrong. _This should be a good thing, _she reminded herself. _It means he's losing interest. I should be happy. _So why wasn't she? Why did the thought make her sick to her stomach? _It's probably just my ego, _she decided. It was nice to have someone who was so devoted to her, that's all. For all his faults, Loki sure knew how to make a girl feel special. She hadn't felt that way in a long time, and might never feel that way again.

The had to be the reason why the thought of him leaving her felt so wrong. The only other possibility was ridiculous and she refused to let herself even consider it. She was so _not _in love with Loki.

Sitting up, she searched the room for any sign of the God of mischief. But he was no where to be found. She couldn't hear the shower, so maybe he was getting dressed. Hesitantly, Riley got out of bed and crept towards his closet. Opening it up just barely enough to look in, she saw that he wasn't there either. Where was he?

Curious, Riley opened the door wider and slipped into Loki's closet. She had never been in here before. What kind of things the room contain? She was a little disappointed when all she saw were clothes.

She fingered a dark blue button down shirt, breathing in the scent. What was it that made Loki smell so _good? _It didn't smell like cologne or soap, but how could his natural scent be so amazing?

She stopped, thinking about what she was doing. What kind of girl stood in a guy's closet sniffing his clothing? Especially when that guy was her...well, Riley wasn't really sure what Loki was to her. _I know what he _thinks _we are, _she thought with a snort. _But I wouldn't personally call us lovers. _

Maybe he had earned the title of friend, but she wasn't certain on that. Riley didn't consider him an enemy anymore, which bothered her. She _should _consider him an enemy. Why couldn't she? She knew the answer to her question, but she didn't like it. The truth was, Loki was charming, funny, smart, and there were moments when he could even be kind. He understood things about her that no one else did. She loved those things about him, and they kept her from hating him. And if those were his only characteristics, she could even love him.

But the problem was, those weren't his only traits. Loki was also a liar, manipulative, cunning, cold, and he had a wicked temper. He had done so many terrible things.

And so she was caught in a place where she couldn't hate him, but she also couldn't love him. _Can't love him, or shouldn't love him? _A quiet voice in her head asked. She felt a jolt of panic at the thought. _Can't, can't, can't, _she repeated it over and over, trying to convince herself this was truth, and it worked. She didn't love him, and she never would.

_Maybe it doesn't even matter anymore, _she reminded herself. It was still possible that his absence this morning meant he was starting to lose interest in her.

She could only hope.

* * *

Even by the time Riley had finished breakfast, Loki still had yet to show up. It was kind of weird...had so much changed in one night? Although, he could just be at a meeting. But why didn't he tell her before he left? It bothered Riley. Not because she cared, of course, but because it didn't make much sense.

The door opened and her heart leapt, though she wasn't sure why. When it was Jim, and not Loki, who came through the door, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Oh, hi," she said, pasting on a smile. Her smile soon faded as she realized that something must be wrong. The usually nervous, bumbling Jim stood tall and confident. There was a seriousness in his expression.

"Is something w-wrong?" she stuttered. Her mind reeled as she searched for answers to his strange behavior. Was Loki kicking her out? That would explain the seriousness. Or...or had something happened to Loki?

Her eyebrows drew together, and she bit her lower lip. Silently, she prayed that it wasn't the latter. At first, she was confused at the worry she felt when she thought about Loki being hurt, but then she decided that it was only natural. Riley was a caring person, and she didn't _hate _him. Of course she would be concerned for him.

Jim walked towards her swifty, sitting on a chair across from her. "Riley," his voice was firm but hesitant. "I would like to speak to you about something. But before I tell you, I need you to promise on your mother's life that this information won't leave this room."

Swallowing hard, she nodded. "Of course."

Silence stretched between them. Every second felt like an hour to Riley. As her heart beat wildly against her chest, she wished he would just get on with it. Finally, he spoke. "I wish I didn't have to bring you into this," he said slowly. "But I have no other choice.

"Riley, the truth is, my name is not Jim. It's Max, Max Hendrik. I'm part of a group of underground rebels who are trying to overthrow Loki."

Her jaw dropped. _I didn't see that one coming. _It took her a while to gather her thought enough to speak. "Oh," was all she said, her eyes still wide.

"Ever since Loki came into power, I have been searching for a way to defeat him," Jim-er, Max-continued. "But every idea we have had as fallen through. He's too powerful for us to defeat. Which is why we need you."

The laugh that ripped through her throat was high-pitched. "_Me?" _she snorted. "What do you mean? You have to be joking," She tried to sound nonchalant, but her voice shook with each word. The look in his eyes told her that he was being perfectly serious, but he couldn't be!

"I'm not kidding around, Riley. We need you for our plan to work."

For a long moment, she didn't answer. She couldn't believe this. Jim needed _her? _Why? There was only one way to find out. "What plan?"

He considered her for a second. "You have to understand that by telling you this, I am trusting you with not only our one hope of defeating him, but with my life and the lives of everyone in my group. I need you to swear that no matter your decision, you will keep this from Loki."

"Of course I won't tell him," she said, a little taken aback. She wasn't a traitor! There was nothing that she'd like more than having her world restored back to itself. "And I'll do whatever I can to help you, of course. I swear."

"Alright, I believe you," Jim said with a nod. "As I said before, there is no way I or any other mortal will be able to beat Loki. Which is why we need _immortals. _We need the Avengers back. Last time wasn't a fair enough fight. They would have won. And if we can have the element of surprise on our side, it will be a piece of cake."

Riley raised her eyebrows. "And how do you plan on getting the Avengers back? They're frozen solid. Do you even know where they are?"

"No, and that is where you come in," he gave her a pointed look. "All we need is time to search for them. We already know how to get them out. If you can get Loki away from New York for a few days, I'm confident we'll be able to locate and release the heroes. We know for sure that they are in this house. We just don't know exactly where. Loki had tunnels built underneath the building. Tunnels that are complicated and go on for miles. With a few days, we should be able to find them."

"How do you propose that I do that?" she asked earnestly. It was a good plan, and it could work. But it wouldn't be easy getting Loki out of the city. To her knowledge, he hadn't left since the invasion. What could she possibly do to change that?

Very slowly he said, "That's where things get...difficult. You don't know where Loki is right now, correct?"

"No idea," she mumbled, wondering what he meant by difficult.

"He's out in the town...searching for a proper engagement ring for his future queen."

Riley stiffened her eyes widening. An...engagement ring? Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, she stared at her feet, not daring to meet Jim's eyes.

"We do not know when he will ask you for your hand in marriage," he explained. "It could be months. In fact, we have reason to believe he will wait a while. When he does ask, we need you to say yes, and we need you to take him somewhere far away for the honeymoon...and we're going to need you to keep him too distracted to even _think _about New York while you're gone."

_No, _she screamed inside her head. Her heart beat against her chest. Did they realize what they were asking of her? She couldn't do it. The very thought terrified her. It wasn't so much the marriage part-she knew that could be undone-it was the part that followed that killed her. Riley had never gone farther than kissing. How could she give that part of herself to _Loki? _

But it had to be done. Was she more important than the entire world? Of course not. It didn't matter what she wanted. That was insignificant when you looked at the whole picture. Her face turning bright red, she looked up at Jim.

"Is there really no other way?" She asked, though she already knew the answer.

"If there was, I would have never even suggested it," he sighed, running a hand over his face. "I understand if you can't do it. No one will blame you. But please, for the sake of our world, at least consider it. We need you. You're his weakness."

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, looking the rebel in the eyes. "There isn't anything for me to consider. This is much bigger than me. If this is what it takes, then I will do it. I won't let my world down."

"Are you sure?"

_Last chance to turn back. _Am _I sure? _"Yes," she found herself saying, despite the doubting voice at the back of her mind. "I've never been more sure in my life."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Riley stood in the library, in front of a shelf, her nose buried in a book about insects. She wasn't really sure why she was reading it-she didn't even like bugs. In fact, she sort of hated them. Particularly scorpions. A summer spent living with her grandma in Arizona had left her with a deep fear of the small creepy insect.

She skipped the chapter on scorpions, reading one on spiders. She was reading about the _brown recluse, _when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist. A squeak slipped out of her mouth, even though she already knew who it was. In some ways it almost made it worse, especially after what Jim-Max-had asked her to do.

"I missed you," Loki breathed into her ear, burying his face in her neck. Stiffening, Riley's first instinct was to try to get him away from her. But if she wanted the rebels' plan to work, she knew she needed to start playing her part.

At the same time, she didn't want to seem suspicious. So, she decided to say the truth. "I was worried when you weren't there this morning," she admitted, unable to keep the guilt from her voice.

His mouth twitched against her skin. He was pleased. "I had a meeting early in the morning, and I didn't want to wake you," he said smoothly. It was hard to believe that he was lying. Was Jim _certain _Loki had gone ring shopping?

Riley turned to face him. Taking a shaky breath, she looked him up and down. At least he was handsome. It made her part a little bit easier to play. "Oh," she said with a nod. "Can I...can I ask you a question?"

Loki raised a black eyebrow. "Of course, darling."

It took her a while to gather the courage to continue. "I..I was just wondering..." she felt her face go bright red, and she had to look away from his emerald green eyes. "I was wondering why...why you haven't kissed me since-well, actually I guess you haven't ever kissed me. I kissed you."

"Would you like me too?" He asked softly, his face only inches away from hers.

She opened her mouth to respond, but before a sound could escape her throat, Loki crashed his lips against hers. As soon as the surprise wore off, Riley closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. At first she was hesitant, and she tried to bring everything down a notch. That didn't last long. Soon, her lips moved along with his roughly, and her hands were tugging at his hair, pulling him as close as possible. It was kind of annoying how tall he was. She had to stand on the very tip of her toes to reach him, and he was bending down.

It must have bothered Loki too, because his hands moved from her waist to the back of her thighs, as he hoisted her up higher and pressed her closer to the bookcase. She wrapped her legs around him, ignoring the warning bells going off in her head.

She felt his tongue run across her lips, requesting entrance. Once again, the bells went off, telling her that this was going too far. The problem was, she didn't _want _to stop. So, she gave into it, letting her instincts take total control.

Loki's lips left hers, trailing across her jaw and ending at her ear. "Do you want to move into a more...comfortable room?" He murmured softly.

Riley froze up, but before she could answer his question, she was saved. Jim walked down the aisle, an apologetic look on his face. "M-my Lord?" He stuttered. It was amazing to Riley how he could pull off the facade so convincingly. He seemed so weak. In fact, she almost began doubting that that mornings events had even taken place.

But they had. A strange feeling came over her and she felt her heart sink. She wondered how long it would be until Loki proposed to her. However, that wasn't the only reason why she was feeling down. What would happen to Loki when the Avengers were released? Would they kill him?

She couldn't do this. Jim had asked for too much. The next time Loki left, she would tell Jim that the plan was off.

"What is it?" Loki growled, rolling his eyes. He set her back onto the ground, facing Jim with a look of loathing.

"The council needs you. Immediately," Jim told him, cringing away from the god. "It's urgent."

"You should go," Riley said quickly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be waiting for you when you get home."

He paused for a long while, then let out a long sigh. "I'll try to be back quickly."

Riley forced a smile. _Take your time, _she wanted to say, but that wouldn't go over well with Loki. His lips brushed her forehead briefly, before leaving the room.

Long moments of silence stretched between Jim and Riley. He must have sensed there was something she wanted to tell him, because he didn't turn to leave. Instead, he just stared at her patiently.

But how could she tell him? How could she tell this man, who had been working so hard for so long, that she couldn't execute his plan because she didn't want to hurt _Loki? _

No. This was pathetic. She _had _to go through with the plan. It shouldn't matter what would happen to Loki; he deserved it. She opened her mouth, prepared to dismiss Jim, "You can-Jim, I can't do this." No! That's not what she meant to say!

"Riley, you already agreed to this," he said, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You can't back out now!" She cringed at the anger in his voice. "I know you don't want to marry him, but it's the only way. The people of this world _need _you, Riley!"

"It's not that!" She cried.

He opened his mouth to respond, but stopped. The look of anger was replaced by one of revulsion and disbelief. "You love him, don't you?" He accused her. "Riley, how could you? I thought you were smarter than that."

"I do _not _love him! I just-I just-" Then, to her embarrassment, tears started pouring down her cheeks. "Are they going to kill him?"

"What?"

Sucking in a deep breath, Riley restated her question. "Are the Avengers going to k-kill Loki?"

His eyes softened. "I don't know, Riley," he admitted to her. "But I don't think they will. After all, he's the brother of one of them."

A huge weight was lifted off her shoulders at his words. "Do you really think so?"

"I do," he said with a nod. "But you have to do this for us, even if their decision is different. We're counting on you. Think of all the people who need you. Whatever happens, Loki will deserve it."

Riley was silent, letting it all sink in. Jim was right, of course. And the more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed that the Avengers would kill Loki. They were the good guys, and killing didn't seem to be their style.

"I guess I'll still do it," she said reluctantly, still not entirely convinced.

Jim shook his head. "You have to be sure of this. You need to either commit completely, or back out. This is too important for a 'maybe.'"

"Do or do not, there is no try," she quietly quoted Yoda. "You're right. I'll do it, I promise."

**A/N: Sorry for the super short chapter! I know it's been forever since I've posted, but I'm going to try to post regularly again. Also, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed/followed/Favorited my story! You guys are the best!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Loki searched the library thoroughly, but found no sign of Riley. It was a surprise for him, because she was _always _in the library. For a moment, he worried that she had left without his permission again, but somehow he could tell she was still in the house.

The black velvet box rested in the pocket of his coat, and he squeezed it once more, to reassure himself that it was still there. Finding the perfect ring had taken much longer that he had anticipated.

Now all that was left was finding the perfect moment to propose. He realized that that moment might not be for a few months, and he was ok with that. It would take a while for Riley to be ready for marriage, so he would wait patiently until she was ready. They had time to wait.

Loki checked a few more rooms, before finally finding Riley sitting by the fire in their room. She stared at it, deep in thought, with a sad look in her eyes. His eyebrows knitted together closely. She had been in such a good mood when he had left. Had one of the servants upset her? _If so, they'll pay for it, _he thought darkly.

"Are you alright?" He asked, touching her shoulder.

She started a little in surprise, and then looked at him. Her eyes tightened painfully, and Loki swore he saw a glimmer of tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to reply, but when nothing came out, she simply nodded.

_I'll kill whoever did this to her. _"Something's wrong," he said, sitting down next to her and pulling her close. "Riley, you can tell me."

"Why?" She asked, and he was surprised at the anger in her voice.

"Why what?"

Pushing herself as far away from him as possible, she glared at him. "Why do you do the things you do? Why are you keeping the Avengers prisoner? Why are you keeping my whole world prisoner?"

His jaw tightened. "What are you talking about?" his voice was ice.

She stood and pointed at him accusingly. "I know the truth about you! I know that you aren't really a bad guy, I know that none of this is really you. You aren't a villain, you're just pretending to be one to get back at your dad."

"You're right, I'm not a villain," with every word his voice rose. "Which is why I took over your pathetic little world. Ever since I got here, things have changed for the better. Your crime rates are lower, your economy is better than it's ever been, and for once there are no wars _anywhere. _I made this world better. How is that a bad thing?"

"It's not better!" Riley protested. "Because the only reason any of those things happened, is because you _made _them happen! Anyone who opposed you, you just killed! Thousands of people have died because of you!"

"People who deserved to die. Besides, they were only mortals."

She took a step back, her face full of shock. "Only mortals? Is that all we are to you? Are we just bugs that you can step on? Loki, is that all I am?"

For the first time, Loki had no idea what to say. "I-I-I don't-I didn't mean you."

"But I'm one of them, Loki. You _did _mean me. I'm as human as everyone else."

"No, but you-"

"That's besides the point," she said quickly, changing the subject.

"Well then, what is your point?"

Her eyes slowly softened. "The point is, you don't have to do any of these things. This isn't really you, and I know it. You can stop. You can go to your father, make a deal with him. Let the Avengers go. Let my world go. I'm sure he'll let you off the hook."

"And what do I do then, hmm? No one in Asgard will ever trust me again."

"Then go somewhere else! There has to be another place you can go."

He laughed bitterly. "I think you're forgetting something, darling. There's no other place I can be the king. And that isn't something I'm going to give up."

She bit her lip. "I don't think that's as important to you as you make it seem," she said slowly. "I think that you just pretend it. In fact, I think that you've made yourself into a monster, because that's what you think you're supposed to be. But you aren't a monster, you're a good man."

"You're wrong. I am a monster. That's what I was born to be. And while there are many other ways to describe me a 'good man' is not one of them."

"Why do you have to deny it?!" She yelled. "Why?!"

"You're one to talk!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Loki stepped towards her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I mean this. You love this, love when I touch you. In fact, you even love me. You just won't admit it, because you _hate _that you love me so much."

He let her slap his hand away. "No I don't," she said, trying to reassure herself. "Y-you're wrong."

"Am I?" he asked, his eyes hard. "Isn't that why you're doing this? Because you want to justify your love? You can't accept the truth. You're in love with a monster, darling."

Tears sprung to her eyes and she shook her head. "Maybe you are right. Maybe you really are a monster." And with that she turned and ran out of the room.

He didn't follow her.

* * *

Riley sat in the corner of the library, hugging her legs tightly to her ran down her cheeks, and she didn't bother to wipe them away.

She knew the Loki would probably find her eventually. The library was a pretty obvious place for her to hide, but being around the books calmed her.

Her plan hadn't worked. She had tried so hard to find a way to convince Loki to release the Avengers willingly. If he had done it willingly, she knew that there was no way he would end up being killed. But now...now there was no way of knowing.

That wasn't the only thing that bothered her. It was what he had said. Was she in love with him? Had he been right? It would explain why she was so worried about him. But how could she have fallen for _him?_

No, he had to be wrong. Sure, she liked it when he kissed her, or touched her. But that was attraction, not love. She could never love him.

That's what she kept telling herself, but deep down, there was a part of her who felt that he was right.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Riley sat alone at the dinner table, staring at the chicken in front of her. The table was huge, nearly twenty feet long, and she felt awkward sitting there all on her own. The meal in front of her smelled delicious, but she couldn't stand the thought of eating. Pushing around her food with a fork, she glanced up at the double doors again. The large room seemed so empty.

_He's really not going to show up, _she thought. She wasn't really sure how to feel about Loki's absence. Riley didn't really feel ready to face him, but it seemed odd for him to blow her off. What if he was done with her? Jim's plan would be ruined. And...

_And nothing. I'll be able to go back home, go back to my normal life! I'm sure I can find a job somewhere, and maybe Loki will even let Mom keep the house. _

Her stomach sank at the thought. She had failed, and there was no way to put a positive spin on things. She had to fix this, but how?

Groaning, she put her head in her hands. She was going to have to apologize to him. Would it really make a difference? Loki could hold a grudge like no other. She was half expecting Jim or someone to walk in and toss her onto the streets.

She felt absolutely miserable.

She heard the door swing open, but didn't look up. "Just give me one more second," she said bitterly. "And maybe could you get my coat before you toss me out into the cold? Now would be a pretty bad time for me to freeze to death."

"What are you babbling about?" Said a smooth, familiar voice.

Her head snapped up. "Loki," she breathed. "Um, I-I-I-"

He glided over to her in a few smooth strides, and placed a finger over her lips. She winced and closed her eyes, preparing to be berated. But instead, she felt his lips against her, soft and gentle. His fingers caressed her cheek, and she felt a part of her melting.

"You don't need to say anything," he said softly. "Let's just forget anything happened."

_Well, that's not healthy, _she thought, but she didn't say anything. For the moment, things were fixed, and that was all that really mattered.

* * *

Hours later, Riley and Loki lay together in the hammock on Loki's balcony. Riley stared up at the stars with a small smile on her face. It had been a long time since she had felt so at peace. It was cold outside, but she didn't really notice it.

Fixing things with Loki had been much easier than she'd thought. It was like nothing had ever happened.

Loki was reading another world history book. He seemed totally engrossed in it, and once again Riley wondered what he was so fascinated by. "Why do you read those?" She asked.

He looked at her. "I find your world's history interesting, and also rather amusing."

"Amusing?" she raised an eyebrow.

Loki shut the book. "Yes. Your earth's history is so repetitive, it's almost funny. Your people consistently make the same stupid choices. And yet, there's a charm to your world. In Asgard, the history books are filled with battles. Your history books seem to explore more than just war; they describe technology and psychology throughout the ages. And even more fascinating, they explore the many different religions."

"You think religion is fascinating?" Now that was a surprise. "Why? Aren't you supposedly a god?"

"When we visited Midgard many years ago, you humans took us for gods, because our technology and abilities far surpassed your own. We weren't gods, just aliens. It's made me wonder if perhaps the other gods in your history aren't fictional. Perhaps they were aliens like us...or perhaps not. Maybe there really is such a thing as a benevolent God that watches over your people. It would explain why you haven't been completely wiped out," he paused, and studied her face. "Do you believe in God? Or gods?"

It took her a long time to respond. "I don't know. I used to. But I guess I just don't understand why a god would let so many bad things happen to such good people. Why would evil people be rich, and good people be poor? Why do the good people die, or suffer? It just doesn't make sense."

"So you want a god who controls every aspect of your life? I always took you for an independent woman."

"That's not what I was saying!"

"But it was," he interrupted her. "If God exists, it would make sense that He would let you make your own choices, and intervene only when it was necessary. And if there is an afterlife, why would death be a bad thing? It leads to such a good place. If you get to live for eternity, your short lives would only be a tiny blip in the grand scheme of things. Even to me, your lives seem so short."

Her eyes widened as a thought popped into her brain. "Loki, how old are you?"

"1047 years old," he told her with a shrug. "Although due to my extended life expectancy, I would be the equivalent of nearly 21 years old."

"Wow," she said, a bit shocked. "You know, you're kind of old for me," she added teasingly. "You're 1029 years older than me. That's a lot."

Loki laughed and kissed the top of her head. He breathed in the scent of her hair, and slowly kissed down to her lips. He smiled against her lips. "I don't think age matters. Do you?"

She shook her head, and then kissed him. The usual hot, intense vibe wasn't there. It was slow and sweet, and yet there was still something passionate there. They kissed for a long time, until Riley felt Loki's hand pulling at the hem of her shirt.

"Stop!" She gasped, grabbing his wrist.

His eyes knitted together closely. "Why? I know you want this too. You can't deny it."

"That's not what's wrong," she said, turning a bright shade of red. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. "I know it sounds stupid...but, well...I sort of made a promise."

Loki stayed silent.

"I promised my parents that I would, well, wait. Like, until after I was married. I know it's an ancient idea, but I promised, and that's one promise I can't break. Like I said, it's stupid-"

"Then marry me," he said softly.

She looked up at him. "What?"

He shifted awkwardly in the hammock, trying to reach his pocket. After a while, he pulled out a black velvet box. "This is not really the way I had imagined this happening," he said. "Riley Chappel, I love you," he paused, letting his words sink in. Riley couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I love you, and I want you forever. You're frustrating, and I'm angry with you most of the time, but I can't imagine life without you. Maybe it's weakness, but I don't care. Riley, will you marry me?"

He opened the box, exposing a gorgeous ring. The band was gold, and in the center was a huge emerald, with two diamonds on either side. It was the most beautiful ring Riley had ever seen. She was about to reply, but Loki stopped her.

"You don't have to say yes," he told her, even though she could see it pained him to do so. "I don't want you to feel forced."

Riley bit her lip, and then looked into his eyes. "Yes," she said, her voice level. She was surprised that she sounded so sure. "Yes, Loki. I'll marry you."

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you like the new chapter. This one seemed to write itself...what are you guys thinking of the story? Love you guys!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

Loki had never been the most patient man, Riley knew. But only giving her three days to prepare for a wedding? That seemed a little extreme. Of course, the ceremony was going to be extremely private; only her mother was invited. There wasn't really much to do, besides finding a dress. Loki was supposed to take care of the rest.

And while Riley knew it wasn't a _real _marriage, at least not to her, she still wanted to look beautiful on her wedding day. She had always dreamed of her wedding dress, and she only had three days to find the perfect one.

She walked out of the dressing room, and winced at her reflection in the mirror. "Mom, I look like a bird," she said, wrinkling her nose at the feathered skirt of the dress. Loki was at a meeting, so it was a perfect opportunity for her and Janet to go dress shopping. He had sent her with security guards, which was embarrassing, but she could handle it. It was creepy to have two strange men watching her shop, but at least they hadn't followed her into the dressing room.

"I think you look cute!" Janet said, wheeling closer to touch the feathers. "Although, it might be a little much."

"A little? Mom, it looks like a murdered a family of swans!" She laughed. "You know the ugly duckling? Well, sadly he was turned into an even uglier dress."

Janet rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. "Ok, I just thought it was worth a try! Go try on the other dresses."

Ten dresses later, Riley still hadn't found 'the one'. So, they tried a different bridal shop. And then another, and then another. After their sixth dress in the fifth shop, she was ready to call it a day.

"I'm never going to find a dress," she sighed. "Maybe I should just wear jeans and a t-shirt."

"Or you could just call off the wedding," Janet suggested, her eyes weary.

Riley froze. Her mother hadn't been thrilled when she had learned about Riley's engagement. Of course it made perfect sense. Who would be happy about their daughter marrying a total psychopath? Riley wanted to tell her so badly about Jim's plan, but she knew it wasn't a good idea. She had to keep it a secret.

"Mom, we talked about this," Riley said, avoiding her mother's eyes. "I'm getting married, and that's the end of it."

"You don't have to!" Janet protested. "You don't need to protect me. I know that's why you're doing this. Your happiness comes first."

"That's not why I'm doing this."

"Don't lie to me," her mom scoffed. "Why else would you be doing this? The man is a murderer. He forced you into this, I know it."

"He's really not that bad," Riley told her, and she actually meant it. "There are parts of him that aren't bad at all. Deep down, he's a good man. He just doesn't know it yet."

"Do you even hear yourself? He's killed people."

Riley sighed. "I know. But there's more to him than meets the eye. He can be funny, and sweet, and loving."

"I won't let you do this," Janet paused, and then beckoned for Riley to come closer. "You could run away," she continued in a whisper. "Right now. I'll cause a distraction, there's only two guards. You can get away. I'll be ok."

"No, mom," Riley said firmly. "I'm going to marry Loki. Please, just trust me."

Janet pressed her lips together tightly and looked away. It pained Riley to see the disappointment in her mother's eyes. She wished things were different; that it was a normal wedding they were preparing for, that her mother was excited for her. _Maybe someday, _she thought, but it felt wrong to imagine herself getting married again.

It felt wrong to imagine herself with someone other than Loki.

With that sickening thought still on her mind, her eyes fell on a dress. She gasped and her jaw dropped. She glided to the rack, and pulled the garment off. "I think I might have found the dress!" She exclaimed excitedly.

When she put the dress on, she knew without looking at it that it was going to be gorgeous. She came out of the dressing room slowly, stopping in front of her mother and the mirror. When she saw herself, she barely could believe that it was her in the mirror.

The dress was beautiful. The skirt was ball gown styled and made out of some sort of tulle fabric, and the bodice was lace with breathtaking beading and a scalloped neckline. The sleeves were 3/4 and made of the same material as the bodice. The dress hugged her in all the right places, and it felt like it was made for her.

Riley glanced over at her mom, and was surprised to see the tears in Janet's eyes. "You look gorgeous," Janet said, wiping at the tears. "Oh, do a twirl for me!"

And in that moment, things were as they should be. They were just a mother and daughter, crying over a wedding dress.

It was a perfect moment.

* * *

Surprisingly, Loki wasn't home when Riley got back. Not having anything else to do, she went straight to the library and picked up a book she hadn't read before. She had only reached chapter two, when she heard footsteps. She looked up, and felt disappointed when she saw Jim instead of Loki.

"Hey," she said, putting her book down. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your engagement," Jim said. "We're proud of you. I wasn't sure you were going to go through with it."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch; I haven't really gone through with it yet."

"But you will," it wasn't a question. "You've come too far to turn back."

She nodded. "I know."

There was a moment of awkward silence. "There's only one more thing we need you to do," Jim said finally. _Yup, of course, _thought Riley, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Jim only appeared when he needed something.

"What?"

"We aren't certain where Loki is taking you for your honeymoon," he told her. "We need you to make sure that it's somewhere very far away."

"I know," she said with a shrug. They had discussed this already, and she already had a place in mind. "Don't worry, I'll talk with him tonight."

"That's my girl," Jim said with a smile. "Thank you, Riley. You're doing the right thing."

_According to you, _she thought bitterly as he left. She picked her book up again, trying to keep her mind busy. After ten minutes of reading the same page over and over again, she gave up and flung it down in disgust.

Why was she feeling so angry? Jim was right; she was doing the right thing. Why did she have to feel so awful about it?

Maybe it was because of what Loki had said to her when he proposed. No one had ever said something so sweet to her in her life. He really did love her. How could she just betray that? He would never forgive her. He'd hate her forever.

Riley didn't want to break his heart. The thought made her sick to her stomach.

"You don't look happy," she heard Loki say. She felt her heart soar as she looked at him, and her previous thoughts were banished. She grinned at him.

"I just missed you," she said, standing up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. _Wow, I'm getting good at this acting thing, _she thought. _It all comes so naturally. I totally deserve an oscar. Take that Leonardo DiCaprio. _

"And I you," he replied, his smile nearly breaking his face. She loved the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. _Not love, _she corrected herself. _Although it is pretty cute._

"Hey, can I ask you something?" she said hesitantly.

"Of course."

She shifted her weight to the other foot. "I don't want to sound demanding or anything, but have you thought of where we're going for our honeymoon?"

"Why? Do you have a suggestion?"

"I've kinda always wanted to go to Italy..."

He smiled and swooped down to kiss her. "Then that's where we'll go."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Riley stared into the mirror, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. _I'm getting married today, _she thought. It didn't feel real to her. The past few days had flown by so quickly, and they had actually been pretty good. She and Loki didn't get in a single fight.

In fact, they had been better than just good.

It had been a long time since Riley had had that much fun. The usual tension between her and Loki was gone, and so they had spent three days talking and laughing. They had even ventured out of the house to visit Loki's favorite hot dog stand. It was weird to see Loki disguised as an overweight man, and she kept feeling like something about his disguise was familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Riley hopped into the shower, losing herself in her thoughts as the warm water poured over her. For the zillionth time, she replayed the conversation she had had with Loki the previous night.

_They had been sitting by the fire in silence, when something occured to Riley. It was a question she had been meaning to ask for a long time, but hadn't gone around to voicing. _

"_Loki?" she asked hesitantly. "There's something I've been wondering about for a long time. Why did you come after me in the first place? I mean, I know you think I'm ok-looking-"_

"_Better than ok-looking," he put in._

"_Ok, well, there's tons of pretty girls. Why did you come after me? What made me different?"_

_Pushing her hair out of her face, he smiled at her. "First you have to understand that you aren't just a pretty girl. You are the most exquisite creature I have ever layed my eyes upon. But you're right, there's more than just that. As you know, I'm an ice giant."_

_She nodded, still blushing over the compliment he had payed her. _

"_My kind has an ability; it's called Linking," he explained. "It allows the males of my race to find their one true love. It creates an unbreakable bond between two people. The females feel the effects of the bond too, but not as much as the males. It's what happened between you and I."_

_Well, that wasn't what she had been expecting. "So," she started and then paused. "So, I'm your true love?"_

_He nodded, and then kissed her softly. _

A shampoo bottle fell, snapping Riley back to the present. She bent down to pick it up, but ended up knocking the conditioner down too. She sighed and picked them both up.

_I ruin everything, _she thought bitterly. Was it really true? Was she really Loki's true love? And if so, did that make Loki hers?

No, he couldn't be her true love. They had become closer over the past few days, but that didn't change the fact that he was a killer. And she could never love someone who had done so much evil. It just couldn't happen.

The door to her room opened. That would be her mother, she knew. Riley got out of the shower, throwing on a plush white robe. She was pretty sure it was Loki's, but she didn't think he would mind her using it.

She walked out of the bathroom and gasped when she saw not only her mother, but her best friend, Airi.

"Airi!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend. "What are you doing here?"

Airi grinned at her. "Did you think I was going to miss my best friend's wedding? Loki invited me."

Well, that had been sweet of him. She felt tears gather in her eyes, but faught them back. He really did love her, didn't he? "I'm so glad you're here," she was able to choke out.

Airi and Janet spent the next two hours transforming Riley. Janet worked on her hair, while Airi applied the makeup. No one really talked about the wedding that day, which was probably for the best. Riley could tell what both of the other women thought about it. Once again, she wished she could tell them why she was doing it.

But she didn't.

They finished hair and makeup, but didn't let Riley see it until she put the dress on. When she walked out of her closet, she saw tears spring in her best friend's and mother's eyes.

"You have _got _to see this," Airi said softly, guiding Riley to the mirror.

Riley gasped at when she saw. Her hair was beautifully curled and pinned up against her head. Small, whispy curls framed her face. Her makeup was kept pretty simple, except for the dark red lipstick on her mouth. Never in her life had she felt so gorgeous.

"You guys are miracle workers," she breathed. "You made me look _beautiful._"

"No," Janet said, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "You were already beautiful. We just proved it to you."

Riley smiled at her mother, and hoped that Loki would like what he saw as much as she did.

* * *

The wedding ceremony was held in the dining room. The table had been removed, and green fabric was draped against the wall. The room was full of beautiful gold flowers, that looked real, but Riley knew they had to be fake. She marched down the aisle, letting her finger graze one of the golden buds, and she was surprised to find that she was wrong; they _were _real.

She looked up ahead, into the brilliant green eyes of her future husband. Her knees started going weak, and she nearly turned around. But then his lips turned slightly upwards in a smile, and she kept on going.

Loki looked absolutely gorgeous, as usual. He was dressed in a sleek black tux, with an emerald bow tie. The best part, though, was the look in his eyes. He looked at her like she was his whole world, and Riley realized again just how much he loved her.

And she realized, for the first time, that she loved him.

_No, _she thought, feeling panicked. _Not love, not love, not love. I'm just feeling sentimental. This is my wedding, after all._

When she reached his side, he took both of her hands in his. His skin was cool to the touch, but somehow she felt warm.

Jim was the one officiating the ceremony. He repeated the traditional vows that Riley had requested. And at his prompting, she repeated the words that would seal her to Loki.

"I do."

And just like that, they were married. Their first kiss as husband and wife was short and sweet, although Riley could tell Loki was having a hard time holding back. She was glad that he did; making out in front of her mother and best friend would have been pretty awkward.

"I love you," Loki whispered into her ear. She almost repeated the words, but she just couldn't.

She couldn't do that to him, not after what was about to happen.

**A/N: We only have one more chapter until the end! It will be a pretty long chapter, though. Thank you all so much for your support!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three:**

Jim sat back patiently as Loki and Riley celebrated their marriage. It wasn't a long party; they had a toast, quickly ate, and then bade farewell to Riley's mother and best friend. It only took an hour to get through the entire reception.

He was still a little shocked that Riley had actually gone through with it. He had been wrong about her. Guilt gnawed at him as he remembered the deal he had made just a few hours previously. _It's the only way, _he reminded himself. _It can't be helped. _

Jim watched as the new couple boarded the private jet that would take them away to their honeymoon. He waved to Riley, seeing the guilt in her eyes. Still, she managed a half smile and waved back.

"I'm sorry, Riley," he murmured softly to himself. That was all he could do at this point; the rest was out of his hands.

He turned away, setting his shoulders. It was time.

* * *

Riley had never been on a private jet before, and she had to admit, it was pretty awesome. The few times she had flown on a commercial flight, she had been squashed and miserable, usually with a small child kicking the back of her seat. This was nothing like that.

She spent the majority of the flight with her face pressed up against the window. Loki held her hand and laughed at her delight. Riley had never flown overseas before, and she found the ocean absolutely mesmerizing. She was so preoccupied, that for a few moments, she forgot the terrible thing that she was doing.

After a while, she started getting tired. Laying her head on Loki's shoulder, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When the plane touched down, Riley gaped at the beauty of Florence, Italy. It was everything she had imagined, and more. When they stepped off the plane and into the limo, her jaw was still hanging open. She spent the entire ride looking out the window, and pointing out to Loki all the things that she'd only read about before.

When she looked at him, with her dark brown eyes so full of joy, he made a vow to see that look on her face every single day. "So," he said with a chuckle. "I'm assuming Italy is living up to your expectations?"

Riley grinned at him, and took his hand in hers. "It's everything I've dreamed of," she hesitated for a moment, before leaning in and giving him a soft, tender kiss. "Thank you."

"No," he said softly. "Thank _you."_

She dropped her gaze and a look of guilt quickly flashed across her face. "I haven't done anything to deserve thanks," she said with a weak laugh.

Loki tilted her chin up, so their eyes met. "Darling, you've done more than you can even begin to imagine."

Before she could say anything, the limo stopped. Riley glanced out the window to see a charming, tuscan villa. They were out of the city now, and while the villa was far enough away from neighbors, the hedges and trees helped add to the feeling of privacy. It wasn't very lavish-though there was a gorgeous pool on the right side-but it was beautiful in its' simplicity.

It was perfect.

"Is this where we'll be staying?" she gasped.

"Yes," Loki said, licking his lips. "I know it isn't the most extravagant place, but I found it rather charming. If you don't like it, we can go somewhere else, of course-"

Riley put a hand on his shoulder, suppressing a giggle. Was Loki actually _nervous? _"It's perfect, Loki," she reassured him. "I adore it."

After the driver moved their bags inside, he drove away, leaving Loki and Riley completely alone. Loki led her into the kitchen, instructing her to sit at the counter. She watched with a raised eyebrow as he started pulling various things from the pantry. He grinned at the expression on her face, and then explained. "I'll be making dinner tonight."

"Really?" She asked, failing to keep the surprise out of her voice. "_You're _going to cook?"

"What?" He said, faking shock, as he opened a can of tomato sauce. "You don't think I'm capable?"

She gave a small shrug. "We'll see, I guess."

Loki smirked, smearing a bit of tomato sauce on her nose. "Never doubt me, darling."

It was fascinating, watching Loki cook. There was a beauty and grace to all of his movements, as if it were a dance.

At the end of it all, Loki placed a plate of spaghetti in front of her. And, of course, it was absolutely delicious. Like, it was literally the best spaghetti Riley had ever had in her life.

"So?" He asked, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

She groaned, rolling her eyes. "You win. It's amazing. Honestly, is there anything you can't do?"

"Unfortunately, I can't fly."

When dinner was finished, Riley felt a pit of dread form in her stomach. So far, her honeymoon had actually been pretty great. Loki was in a good mood, she was in a beautiful place. And now came the awkward part.

The wedding night.

She followed him into the bedroom, barely noticing any of the decor. In fact, the only thing she noticed was the large, four poster bed.

_Maybe I can just jump off the balcony. Problem solved. _

Loki kissed her gently on the lips, tangling his long fingers in her hair. She tried to kiss him back, but it felt forced. It didn't help that she was shaking like a leaf.

He drew back, looking at her with concern. "Are you alright? We...we don't have to do this tonight."

"But I want to," she said, swallowing hard. Part of her job in helping the rebels was keeping Loki distracted. This would definitely do the trick.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

She nodded, although she was still shaking. He leaned in, kissing her neck and then working his way up to her ear.

"Just let go," he whispered.

And that's exactly what she did.

* * *

It had been two days since Riley and Loki had arrived in Italy.

And Riley could honestly say they had been some of the best days of her life. They spent most of their days exploring Florence, or swimming, or sometimes even just talking. The nights, however, they spent most of their time _not _sleeping. And those nights were part of the reason she was enjoying herself so much.

She blushed at the thought. She had thought being with Loki would be awkward, but it was almost as natural as breathing.

Everything felt so perfect.

Until she would start thinking about the surprise 'guests' that would be showing up any moment.

Sighing, she put down the book that she had been trying to read. She didn't know what to do. Loki wasn't a monster-he didn't deserve to be hurt, or worse. He'd made mistakes, a _lot _of mistakes. But there was still so much good in him.

Yet, what she was doing was necessary. It was the right thing. Wasn't it?

At that moment, Loki walked in, a smile on his handsome face. "I have good news," he announced proudly, throwing his phone onto the couch.

"What is it?"

Loki pulled her to her feet, kissing her on the mouth. "It's my wedding present to you," he explained, still grinning. "I scheduled an appointment with a spinal surgeon, for your mother. And I just got a call, and the surgeon has informed me that he has high hopes for Janet. He thinks he'll be able to get her walking again."

At that, she wrapped him in a hug and burst into tears. She had no words to convey her gratitude, so she just kept saying 'thank you,' over and over again. Once she was finally able to compose herself, she pulled away and looked into his green eyes.

Staring at him, Riley finally came to accept the truth; she loved Loki. She had for a while now.

And now she was going to lose him.

She couldn't let this happen. He had given her the best gift anyone ever could, and now she would try and return the favor.

"Loki," she said, swallowing hard.

He smiled at her, brushing the hair out of her face. "Yes, my darling wife?"

She felt her heart constrict. There was no way this would work, but she had to try. "What...what if we leave?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you not enjoying Italy? We can go somewhere else. Name the place, and we'll go."

"No, that's not what I mean," she bit her lip. "I mean, what if we we just leave? What if we just disappear? We don't have to go back to New York. We could go hide in some far away place, and let earth go back to the way it was before."

"Back to the wars, you mean? The poverty, the useless crime?" His voice got louder with each word. "This planet has improved immensely since I got here, it hasn't gotten worse!"

"Only because of fear! Fear is no way to govern people."

"Fear is the only way," Loki yelled at her. "What has gotten into you? Why would you even bring this up? Do you enjoy arguing with me?"

"No! I just don't want-" she stopped and looked at her feet.

"Don't want what?" he asked slowly. "Riley, what are you hiding from me?"

When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes. Loki felt a knot form in his stomach. Something was very, very wrong. "Don't make me ask again."

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "Loki, we have to leave now. I don't..." her voice faltered, so she cleared her throat. "I don't know what they're going to do to you when they find you."

"Who?" He growled, thought he had a suspicion he knew the answer.

"The Avengers."

"Why would they come for me? They're supposed to be locked away."

"They got out."

"How?!" Loki asked, taking Riley by the shoulders. "How do you know?"

"Because I helped them."

Loki stepped away, his jaw working. Riley had never seen her look so hurt. Moisture glimmered in his eyes, which stared into hers accusingly.

"The rebels," she started to explain. "They wanted me to get you away from New York, so they could unfreeze the Avengers."

"You betrayed me," Loki hissed, taking another step backwards.

"I'm sorry," she choked out. "I had to."

He shook his head. "You're _sorry?" _He spat. "I should have know this would happen. You're nothing but a snake, and love is nothing but poison." He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

And Riley was left alone, with nothing but a broken heart, and a stream of tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

Loki's head spun as he stomped into the kitchen. How could he have been so stupid? Leaving his fortress so unprotected, it had been idiotic, a beginners mistake. It was too late for him to stop the rebels from freeing the Avengers, he could feel it. He could easily get them back to their frozen state-he knew the rebels' plan had relied heavily on the element of surprise. This whole situation would only be a minor annoyance.

What stung was Riley's betrayal.

He realized now that so much of their relationship had to be a lie. She only agreed to marry him to get him away from New York. And the nights they had since spent together must have only been to keep him distracted.

How could a mortal girl successfully lie to the God of tricks?

He knew the answer, of course; he had wanted to believe that she loved him.

How much more had been a lie? Had Riley been a part of this plan since the moment he'd seen her? He had thought her to be a terrible liar, but perhaps that had all been part of an elaborate plan, so he wouldn't suspect a thing.

Loki wiped at his eyes, and sneered at his own weakness. How could it have come to this? How could _he _be sniffling because of some human girl?

Most importantly, what should he do now?

He still loved Riley. That could never change. But she had betrayed him. She had plotted his _downfall. _And how could he truly love, without trust?

"Love," he spat the word like a curse. And to him, it was.

Shaking his head, he grabbed a glass to get a drink-

When the air split with the sound of Riley screaming his name.

He dropped the glass and ran towards his room, taking the stairs two at a time. His heart pounded against his chest, as he flung the door open.

The first thing he noticed, were Riley's dark brown eyes, wide open in shock.

Then, he saw the silver shafted arrow that stuck out of her chest.

It was like everything happened in slow motion. Riley fell to the ground, and Loki lunged forward to keep her from hitting her head. He cradled her in his arms, his mind going a thousand miles per second.

"Riley, Riley!" He exclaimed, his voice high with panic. "What happened?" He examined the wound, trying to think of something he could do. He tried a few spells, but nothing was helping.

"Don't know," she gasped out.

He glanced towards the window, in time to see a silver cloak disappear among the trees. He didn't even think about pursuit-all of his attention was fixed on his wife, dying in his arms.

No, not dying. He wouldn't let that happen.

"You're going to be okay," he assured her in a shaky voice. "I'll call the paramedics, they can fix this. They can."

Tears were rolling down both their cheeks now. Riley raised her hand weakly, touching Loki's face. "I'm so sorry," she cried. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Don't worry about that now," he sobbed. "It's fine, I forgive you. Please, just don't go. Stay with me. I love you, Riley. I love you more than anything. Just stay!"

He could see the light fading from her eyes. _Think, Loki, think! _He screamed at himself. What was he missing? There had to be a way to save her!

"Loki," she croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Loki, I...I...I lo..."

"Shhh," he said, pushing her hair back. "Don't say anything. Keep your strength."

She shook her head. "Loki, I lo...I love.."

But she was never able to finish. Her body went limp in his arms, and her beautiful brown eyes, which had once been so vibrant, were now dull.

Loki screamed as he felt his soul, his heart, being ripped from him. His whole body convulsed with powerful sobs as he held her close, and rocked her lifeless body back and forth.

He didn't know how long he knelt there. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

There was nothing he could do now.

She was gone. He could never bring her back. But, he could get revenge.

Loki gave Riley one last kiss, before gently laying her down. He would find the son of bitch, and he would make him suffer. He took one last look at her, and felt his knees weaken. All emotions, all happiness had been stripped away from him, leaving him with only pain. Pain and anger.

He burst out of the villa, and broke into a run towards the direction he had seen that flutter of a silver cape.

He followed the footprints leading away, running as hard as he could.

But then they stopped. The footprints disappeared, as if the murderer has flown away. Loki sunk to his knees, letting out an earsplitting wail.

Loki didn't even notice when the Avengers appeared. He didn't hear a word they said, or feel the cuffs that were placed on his wrists.

He had failed completely.

As Thor began to take Loki away, all he could think of was the last conversation he'd had with Riley. The hurt on her face as he had said those horrible things.

He had been right about one thing, however: Love is poison.

And he could feel it killing him.

**The End.**


	24. Afterwords

Hey guys!

So I know that was a horrible way to end a book. I just want to let you all know that I'm planning on writing a sequel, that will take place during the events of Thor 2. It will focus on Loki dealing with grief, and finding out who the killer is.

I want to thank you all for being such great supporters. Even though you probs hate me now.

I love you guys!

kayli12


	25. Announcement

I just wanted everyone to know that the first chapter of the sequel is up! Here's the link

s/11946952/1/Love-Is-Hopeless


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